The Texas Longhorns put the college football world on notice with an impressive 34-24 victory over No. 3 Alabama on Saturday. It was a road win, no less, the perfect chaser to last season's exhilarating installment of college football's newest powerhouse rivalry.
Quinn Ewers got hurt during the Longhorns' loss to Bama last season. Now back to full strength, the sophomore tuned out the constant Arch Manning buzz from disgruntled Texans to author the program's biggest win in a decade.
It's finally happening. After years of wondering "is Texas back???" the Longhorns are finally... back. Texas moved up to No. 4 in Sunday's AP Top 25 poll. The Longhorns will soon join Alabama in a crowded SEC, furthering their arrival as a genuine fixture in the college football landscape.
The Longhorns' biggest rivals in Norman, Oklahoma are following a slightly different trajectory right now. The Sooners dropped to No. 19 in Sunday's AP poll. Brent Venables is trying to return the program to its former glory, but the high-flying Sooners offense of yesteryear feels long gone.
Skip Bayless, the lead voice on FS1's Undisputed, is a proud Oklahoma fan. Say what you will about Bayless, but he has never been afraid to express open fondness for his favorite teams — and he's a committed fan. When he likes a team, he goes to great lengths to support that team.
So, that's why his recent comments are a bit deflating for the Sooner faithful.
Skip Bayless makes honest admission about Oklahoma Sooners compared to Texas Longhorns
This is far from Bayless' most irrational take. He's right — Texas is a national power and the Longhorns are better than the Sooners. Comfortably better, that is. By the same token, it would be extremely difficult to do worse than last season's 49-0 shellacking. Bayless isn't exactly putting his reputation on the line with this opinion.
Just a few years ago, Oklahoma was the emergent national power while Texas was toiling in mediocrity. Oh, how the tables turn. That always felt a little backward, of course, and it was only a matter of time until a competent enough coach came along to lead Texas — the primary university in the biggest high school football state — back to relevancy.
Steve Sarkisian, back from a failed NFL offensive coordinator stint, is right where he belongs. Sarkisian has a wealth of collegiate coaching experience, including two seasons under Nick Saban in Alabama. On Saturday, he became the second Saban assistant ever to get the best of his former boss, joining UGA's Kirby Smart.
A collegiate offensive genius with obvious recruiting clout, Sark has been the catalyst for Texas' ascent. As long as he's around, it's easy to see this becoming a sustainable status for the Longhorns. No more years of bowl losses and postseason long-shots. Texas is here to compete for, and maybe win, a national title.
