"Here’s my frustration with Texas": Greg McElroy gets real about Steve Sarkisian's team heading into 2024 season

Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns are set to begin a new journey as members of the SEC. Last season, they successfully won the Big 12 championship and clinched a playoff spot. However, they lost in the semifinals to the Washington Huskies.

This upcoming season, the new 12-team playoff format will be in place, giving the Longhorns another chance to compete for a postseason berth and contend for the national championship. However, college football analyst Greg McElroy is not too confident about Sarkisian's team being a natty contender this year.

During an appearance on ESPN's "Always College Football," McElroy said:

"Here's my frustration with Texas. You see what they should be and you see what they could be and what they sometimes are. The Alabama game last year, the Texas Tech game at the end of the season, the Oklahoma State game in the Big 12 title. It's like you see what they are capable of.

"And it's like my god, there's no one. This is the most complete team in the sport. ... But for whatever reason, you don't still get that performance every week and you don't really get that performance every quarter." (Time stamp: 25:00)

McElroy further listed several games where Oklahoma played down to the level of their competition and offered some advice:

"They're gonna have to play on a consistent basis with more regularity. And that's I think the next step in the evolution to building Texas foundation that Sark wants to build." (Time stamp: 27:55)

Steve Sarkisian took over as the coach of the Longhorns in 2021. During his three-season stint so far, he has led the program to one Big 12 title and the playoffs while putting up a 25-14 record. As he prepares for his fourth campaign, Sarkisian will be looking to continue the momentum he built last season.

---

Steve Sarkisian excited for a new journey with Texas in the SEC

Last month, the Longhorns officially joined the SEC. On July 1, the program celebrated its new conference at the UT Austin Campus with great pomp and show, including a concert by Pitbull.

Amid the celebrations, Steve Sarkisian expressed his excitement:

"I think it speaks volumes about the Longhorns nation. The support we have from everybody is really incredible, and it's not just that they're here, it's the energy that they're providing too.

"You know I don't really get to enjoy People Boulevard during a game day weekend, so this is pretty neat to see the energy, just the energy and the excitement that's going on right now. The fanfare in the SEC is something that our fans are gonna enjoy."

The Longhorns have a difficult schedule ahead of them in their first campaign in the SEC. With games against teams like Michigan, Oklahoma and Georgia, Steve Sarkisian will have to put his best foot forward to secure a spot in the 12-team playoffs.