DALLAS — As Malaki Starks made his rounds at SEC Media Days on Tuesday, one question always came up.
He admitted he was tired of being asked about it.
“I’ve gotten a lot of questions about the addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC. I’ve gotten that in every interview today,” Starks told DawgNation.
You can understand why Texas and Oklahoma have been popular talking points. This is the first year both programs will be in the SEC, coming over from the Big 12. With media days being in Dallas, there’s a large presence of Texas and Oklahoma media as well.
Georgia is set to take on Texas on Oct. 19. The trip to Austin, Texas, is one of the marquee games in the sport.
But to the Bulldogs, it’s just another game on the schedule. One filled with plenty of tough trips, including games against Alabama, Ole Miss and Kentucky.
“Obviously a very talented team and obviously have a tough schedule coming up, and we have some big road games against some really talented teams in cool environments,” quarterback Carson Beck said. “I’m always excited to go on the road and experience someone else’s environment, and I know we have a good schedule coming up. I’m excited about it.”
Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban picked Texas and Georgia to play in the SEC championship game at the end of the season. Between Quinn Ewers, Beck, Isaiah Bond and Starks, there’s tons of star power in both programs.
There are also the Alabama ties between the two programs. Kirby Smart and Steve Sarkisian both worked as coordinators under Saban. Smart was the long-time defensive coordinator, while Sarkisian worked as the offensive coordinator after Lane Kiffin left to become the head coach at Florida Atlantic.
“Every team we play is the best that week. Please understand that,” Smart said. “In the SEC humility is a week away. I have a ton of respect for Sark and the job he does.
“Got to watch them play last year against several common opponents, got to watch them play in the playoffs. They have a tremendous recruiting base. They do a tremendous job in recruiting, that includes NIL and everything included in that.”
The Longhorns won the Big 12 last year and earned one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff. The highlight of the season was a 34-24 win at Alabama.
In 2024, Texas will be tasked with meeting the week-in, week-out intensity that comes with playing in the SEC.
“They’re a big, physical team,” Smart said. “They are built like an SEC football team, so looking forward to an opportunity to come play them. What a tremendous matchup it will be.”
While Smart acknowledged the stakes of the game against Texas, his players were well-versed in not taking the bait when it comes to overhyping the Oct. 19 contest. It’s the seventh game of the season for the Bulldogs.
And they know that if the game against Texas is going to live up to the hype, they’ve got to take care of business against their next opponent.
That is Clemson, who the Bulldogs open the 2024 season against on Aug. 31.
“We’ve got a bunch of good teams on our schedule and they’re one of them,” Starks said. “We want to focus on Clemson right now and just take it day-by-day, game-by-game.”
