Is Steve Sarkisian the new GOAT of college football? Talk about a plot twist! Thanks to Sarkisian and his Texas Longhorns, Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs are now seen as underdogs. Georgia’s downfall started with a tough loss to Alabama, which bumped them down to No. 5. And guess who’s thriving now? The SEC newcomer Texas, with Sarkisian at the helm, is playing at their absolute best.

This is unfamiliar territory for Georgia, a team not used to being anything other than dominant. But the real shocker? Sarkisian ended their incredible 50-game winning streak, shaking up the college football world. And with that, it feels like Sarkisian has stepped into the spotlight that Nick Smart once owned, taking on a role many thought was reserved only for Saban.

Sarkisian spoils Smart’s streak

Before the 2024 kickoff, Kirby Smart not even in his worst nightmare had thought that walking into week 8 would cost them so hard. All thanks to the No.1 Texas Longhorns for the grounding effect. This has been indeed shocking! Data says this occurred for the first time since the 2021 season opener that the Dawgs are listed as an underdog in a game. Well, right now Steve Sarkisian and Co. left Georgia in a sticky spot being a 3.5-point underdog against Texas. The over/under for the game is currently at 56. Three years back, they were a 2.5-point underdog. Surprisingly, in that game, the Bulldogs won 10-3. Since then, there has been no looking back as they reeled in multiple national championships. Moving into week 8 Georgia is 5-1 carrying the No.5 rank. 

In contrast, Sarkisian’s squad enjoys the No.1 rank and has not lost a game this season being SEC’s last unbeaten team. Not only that but for every game they turned in their favor, the Longhorns won by double digits. And how are the Dawgs coping with it? “I don’t personally believe that we’re ever an underdog,” claimed Georgia safety Dan Jackson. No matter how positive their mindset is, Sarkisian has already displaced Smart who till now enjoyed the Nick Saban treatment being the best HC in college football. Maybe, it had to turn out this way. After all, the Longhorns HC owes his coaching career to the GOAT.   

How Nick Saban’s influence lives on with Steve Sarkisian

Ever since Sarkisian stepped into Texas he had a pretty simple plan sketched out. Over the four years, he has blindly followed his motto, “All gas, no brakes.” That’s how he functions to be able to deliver the best in the new era of excess in college football: substance with style. And definitely it bore sweet results. The Longhorns are No. 1 for the first time in 16 years. Is Sarkisian happy? Definitely! 

Before they crushed Mississippi State 35-13 to earn the program’s first SEC victory, the Longhorns HC confessed, “I love that our personality is coming out of this team. I think we’ve got a pretty cool swagger about us right now. But that swagger has been earned.” Have you ever thought how college football was on the verge of losing a gem like Sarkisian had Saban not been there? 

Back in 2016, Steve Sarkisian underwent an open-heart surgery. The ex-Alabama HC’s executive physical detected the symptoms. And Nick Saban did not kick Sark out who was then serving as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. “Anytime I talk about my journey, my career, where we’re at today—I would not be here without Nick Saban…He probably saved my life a few times by doing a great job while he was here. So we’re kind of even, I think,” Sarkisian once said in an interview. Today, the Longhorns HC is paying back the GOAT by being his best version just like Saban would like it!