College Football: 5 things I’m excited to watch in Week 2

3. Will Texas put up a fight against Alabama?

Is this the year that Texas is finally “back”? We’ll have a pretty good indication after the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide come to Austin on Saturday.

On Saturday, Alabama head coach Nick Saban will face one of his old assistant coaches in Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, who had two stints as Alabama’s offensive coordinator.

It is only Sarkisian’s second season in Austin, yet there has been no shortage of buzz surrounding his program.

New starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, a former five-star recruit from Austin, transferred to the Longhorns after one season at Ohio State. This summer, Sarkisian picked up a major commitment from 5-star quarterback Arch Manning, who will enroll next fall.

While the future looks bright for Texas in terms of recruiting, Sarkisian is under an immense amount of pressure to deliver results this season.

There is no shortage of firepower on this Longhorns team — star running back Bijan Robinson could be the first running back taken in the 2023 NFL Draft. Defensively, Texas added two talented transfers in linebacker Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey and cornerback Ryan Watts.

In spite of the talent on both sides of the football for Texas, beating Alabama would take an unbelievable effort. The Longhorns’ offensive line will have their hands full trying to contain Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr., who looks like a future NFL star. Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski will have to find a way to pressure quarterback Bryce Young- a favorite to win his second straight Heisman trophy.

Given their impending departure of the Big 12 for the SEC, Texas better get used to marquee matchups like this one.