We've already seen and heard from him on the 2025 football schedule, playing ranked teams, road scheduling, and from the outside looking in, and being familar with SEC scheduling of past, I say "you've had it easy"

BUT, after realizing it won't be a cake walk, he will be facing tougher teams year to year, I can see a scenario where he wants an easier journey to the CFP, and doesn't want to endure 7-5, or 8-4 seasons that would harm his resume.

Look at the 2026-2028 longhorn schedule - it a true gauntlet

2026 Schedule

Tough Home Games: Ohio State, Oklahoma (Cotton), Florida, Ole Miss
Tough Road Games: LSU, Mizzou, Tenn, A&M

2027 Schedule

Tough Home Games: Michigan, Georgia, A&M
Tough Road Games: Bama, South Carolina, Oklahoma (Cotton), Vandy

2028 Schedule

Tough Home Games: Oklahoma (Cotton), LSU, Mizzou, Tenn
Tough Road Games: Notre Dame, Florida, Ole Miss, A&M

Unless you have a full roster of 5-stars, motivated, and lighting the world on fire, you aren't going through that schedule and making SEC title game or playoff... even with Saban at the helm.

I can see why he might want out before the juggernaut hits...

OU at home? Interesting.

That's a far from brutal schedule. Half their sec opponents may have new coaches

Doesn't look much harder than the average SEC schedule. You either want to play with the big dogs, or you don't.

It's too difficult to predict how good a team will be 1, 2, 3 years in advance. Exhibit A is LSU. Ranked in the top 5 early in the season based on historical performance, but the team fell apart. Coaches leave and players transfer, so I doubt Sark makes any decisions based on fearing the future.

northeastag said:

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Doesn't look much harder than the average SEC schedule. You either want to play with the big dogs, or you don't.

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Light years harder than 1st 2 years in the league... let's be honest. They got a soft entry.

I'll take "he realized how ****** tu is" for 500, Alex.

Looks like a typical SEC schedule. They wanted in; now it's time to step up. Here's to tu falling on their face!

nelson gif

Ha Haaaaa

northeastag said:

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Doesn't look much harder than the average SEC schedule. You either want to play with the big dogs, or you don't.

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Yep.
Welcome to the SEC!

If you dont have bama and georgia on the schedule u got a break. Going to 9 games i dont see the need to schedule Ohio st or notre dame type teams.

RoadkillBBQ said:

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northeastag said:

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Doesn't look much harder than the average SEC schedule. You either want to play with the big dogs, or you don't.

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Yep.
Welcome to the SEC!

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Amen! We've been playing it now for 13 years!

That's just an SEC schedule, no more difficult than we faced for 12 years before they (and ou) joined and screwed things up.

To be fair to Sark, they may finish exactly in the same place record wise as us last year. This year has nothing to do with next year.

So....basically the schedule we've had since 2012?

He'd be an idiot to seek out a new job. He has 75m sitting on a contract through 2031. You stay there until they fire you and make them give you that money.

There is enough volatility in CFB now that even if he is fired, he will still end up working somewhere else.

Nelson Wilbury said:

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It's too difficult to predict how good a team will be 1, 2, 3 years in advance. Exhibit A is LSU. Ranked in the top 5 early in the season based on historical performance, but the team fell apart. Coaches leave and players transfer, so I doubt Sark makes any decisions based on fearing the future.

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I have said this multiple times. Hell, just look at our schedule this year. Preseason polls had 5 teams ranked ahead of us (all in the Top 15) and now we are being criticized for having a weak schedule.

Me thinks the press doesn't want to admit their abject failure at preseason polls.

Welcome to the SEC, B cups.

With an expanded SEC and the transfer portal, more and more you will see 7-5 to 9-3 for good teams, not 11-1 or 12-0. Tough time to be a coach as you could go 8-4 and have a really good team. It is what it is.

Odd that they are only playing Bama in 27. I thought the SEC scheduling was returning to more of a set home/away schedule. Guess I got to go look myself....AND, yeah yeah, late to the party these schedules are just dumb.

the sips did not read the tea leaves correctly...and over-scheduled in the non-conference

in the cupcake Big 12 they needed to play Michigan and Ohio State, but not in a 9-game SEC

Sark also knows he's stuck with Arch next year -- a non-elite QB -- and that's a big problem

I doubt that's the reason. If there was a reason, it's because he will get an opportunity that tu can't compete with in the NFL. It's that simple.

wangus12 said:

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He'd be an idiot to seek out a new job. He has 75m sitting on a contract through 2031. You stay there until they fire you and make them give you that money.

There is enough volatility in CFB now that even if he is fired, he will still end up working somewhere else.

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Correct. He just needs to suck for 1 season to collect all that money. But it would also hurt his ability to get another top job.

Sucking then retiring is always the best choice.

Austin radio is saying he is trying to take on too many roles. The big donors are wanting him to drop his offensive coordinator role calling plays, and focus on being the field general. If he refuses, there may be increased tensions or he'll go some place where he can still call plays. I don't really care - let it BURN!!

That worked great for Jimbo. LOL

I don't really agree with your assessment.

You never know how things will play out. Before this season started, I thought our schedule was brutal. Now, we're being criticized for how "easy" it is. It's hard to assume who will be good.

You do realize that is bc of agendas. Right?

The gauntlet of the SEC will get to you at some point. Unless of course you build a program like Georgia and Bama in the Saban era which is what we are hopeful Elko is doing.

jturner181 said:

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We've already seen and heard from him on the 2025 football schedule, playing ranked teams, road scheduling, and from the outside looking in, and being familar with SEC scheduling of past, I say "you've had it easy"

BUT, after realizing it won't be a cake walk, he will be facing tougher teams year to year, I can see a scenario where he wants an easier journey to the CFP, and doesn't want to endure 7-5, or 8-4 seasons that would harm his resume.

Look at the 2026-2028 longhorn schedule - it a true gauntlet

2026 Schedule

Tough Home Games: Ohio State, Oklahoma (Cotton), Florida, Ole Miss
Tough Road Games: LSU, Mizzou, Tenn, A&M

2027 Schedule

Tough Home Games: Michigan, Georgia, A&M
Tough Road Games: Bama, South Carolina, Oklahoma (Cotton), Vandy

2028 Schedule

Tough Home Games: Oklahoma (Cotton), LSU, Mizzou, Tenn
Tough Road Games: Notre Dame, Florida, Ole Miss, A&M

Unless you have a full roster of 5-stars, motivated, and lighting the world on fire, you aren't going through that schedule and making SEC title game or playoff... even with Saban at the helm.

I can see why he might want out before the juggernaut hits...

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They could be facing as many as 4 new coaches in 2026. Regardless, Florida isn't a "tough" home game for tu and Mizzou is seldom a "tough" road atmosphere.

No way of knowing if it's a tough schedule.

We thought ours would be very difficult this year and it's ended up being perhaps the most manageable schedule. No way of knowing.

It's not a brutal schedule. It's just much harder than their schedule for the last decade and the last 2 years.

The truth of the matter is no one knows anymore from year to year really what's going to be bad and what won't. Many of the teams that started ranked this year ended up unranked. And vice-versa.

They came into the conference after the West had to play the same hard teams every year in the east had a pretty easy schedule.

I think they can just sit down and shut up. No one has control over the schedule just win.

All the time A and M has been in the SEC and not getting to play Georgia and tu gets tham every freaking year. AGs dont get the exposure the team deserves.