Should Texas football schedule games against in-state foes? Here's what Steve Sarkisian thinks

As college football's money tree grows, the game sprouts further and further away from its roots as a regional sport. The change is exemplified by the latest round of conference realignment, sparked by the Texas football program joining Oklahoma in departing the Big 12 for the SEC . Stanford will cross three time zones on its way to play an ACC conference game against Syracuse next week.

Philosophical changes have also impacted nonconference schedules for programs throughout the country. Tennessee, for example, hasn't played in-state Group of Five foes Memphis or Middle Tennessee State since 2011. West Virginia last took on Marshall in 2012. Ole Miss and Southern Miss haven't met since 1984.

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For various reasons, some athletic departments are deciding against playing local nonconference foes. Steve Sarkisian doesn't want Texas to be one of them.

"I think it is good for the state of Texas that we play an in-state team every year," the Longhorns ' head coach said Wednesday.

Texas (2-0) is preparing to host UTSA (1-1) on Saturday (6 p.m., ESPN), playing an out-of-conference game against an in-state program for a sixth consecutive season. And there's at least one in-state team on Texas' scheduled nonconference slate through 2031, including both UTEP and Sam Houston next season.

"I think, first of all, it's good for the state," Sarkisian said. "I think it's great that we do play teams in our own state. I think it's great for their brand. I think it's good for our brand. I think it creates a really good environment at DKR.

"But ... they're all dangerous. And this week's no different. Coach (Jeff) Traylor's done a great job with UTSA. They're a dangerous football team. They've won a bunch of games. They know how to win. They believe in their style and the way they play the game. You see what Texas State's doing now, what Sam Houston's done, UTEP with the new coach and what they're going to start to build."

UTSA and Texas last met in 2022. That game was tied at 17 going into the half before the Longhorns took control and eventually claimed a 41-20 victory.

As expected, Texas tends to win against those programs. The Longhorns' last defeat to one of the state's present-day Group of Five schools came at Rice in 1994 when the Longhorns and Owls were still Southwest Conference peers. Still, Sarkisian said these games present a particular challenge for the collective psyche of his players.

"If you start to prepare based on the helmet or the uniform the other team wears, that's how you get beat," Sarkisian said. "You've got to prepare to our standard within our organization, not what you think of the opponent, one way or the other. I think that's about the discipline side of what we do."

There's a new pool of power conference, in-state opponents available to Texas now following its exit from the Big 12. Sarkisian didn't specifically discuss his opinion on playing those schools. Instead, he kept his comments more general.

"It's a good idea to play the in-state games," he said.

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Uncertainty surrounding the future of the SEC slate has made scheduling difficult for its members. Locked in at eight conference games through 2025, a change to nine SEC games could come as soon as 2026.

Should that happen, the question then becomes whether the SEC will remove its current mandate that forces its members to play at least one opponent from a different power conference every season.

If a nine-game conference slate materializes for 2026, the next open slot on Texas' nonconference schedule will come in 2028. Sarkisian said Athletic Director Chris Del Conte involves him in scheduling discussions.

"So much of the schedule that we're playing now, I wasn't involved in," he said. "A lot of this stuff is scheduled pretty far out. As we look down the road, things come across my desk, and it sounds like a good idea or not a good idea."

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Should Texas football schedule games against in-state foes? Here's what Steve Sarkisian thinks