Texas has only been in the SEC for two years, but during that time they have already amassed an 0-3 record against Georgia. This includes a loss in Athens last season, a loss at home as the No. 1 team in the country, and a shocking defeat in the 2024 SEC Championship game.
The Longhorns have still been one of the best programs in the country during those two years, but they can't claim any true dominance because of their issues when they face Georgia. Texas however has the talent to compete with Georgia, but that talent hasn't mattered when the two sides battle on the field.
Why might that be? One reason is because Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is nothing like Kirby Smart.
Steve Sarkisian has a lot to learn from how Kirby Smart runs the Georgia football program
On Monday Sarkisian released a statement saying that he believes Texas has the most talent across their roster than they've ever had. While that may be the case, it is quite funny hearing him say this when they've had one of the best rosters in the country the last two years and it never really mattered.
Whether this statement is accurate or not is a debate for another time because this leaves no doubt how different Sarkisian is from Smart.
Earlier this offseason Sarkisian copied Smart by hiring multiple former head coaches. This was viewed as an attempt to try and be more like Smart, but it now doesn't look like he wants to be like Smart at all anymore.
Sarkisian is spending this offseason praising his roster. Smart on the other hand has done the exact opposite as he made it very clear that he doesn't think his team is good enough to compete yet. In fact, he went over the top with this message by specifically calling out Georgia's wide receiver room as needing to improve a lot before the season begins.
So why is Smart talking about his team in this way? It's simple, he doesn't want them to be complacent. He wants them to spend the next few months doing everything they can to get better each and every day. While Sarkisian wants that for Texas as well, his message won't light a fire under his team like Smart's will.
Fans can debate which strategy is better, but the facts don't lie. Smart is the coach that Sarkisian dreams of becoming, so maybe he should try and take another page out of his book.