The 2022 college football season hasn't even started yet, but Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban is already winning in terms of making backhanded compliments. Just take a gander at how Saban spoke about the Texas Longhorns, who are under Steve Sarkisian, the former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator.

Via Anwar Richardson:

Alabama football coach Nick Saban said he expects Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian to have a nationally ranked team in the future

Sarkisian was hired by the Longhorns in 2021 to be the football program's head coach, and his first season with the team wasn't exactly a memorable one. Last season, the Longhorns finished the campaign with a 5-7 record and missed playing in a bowl game for the first time in five years.

However, strong recruitment in the offseason brings so much promise for the Longhorns. They also got a star transfer in the form of Quinn Ewers, who comes over from the Big Ten where he used to suit up for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, meanwhile, are automatic top contenders for the national title, as is the case virtually every year. Sarkisian and his Longhorns will have an opportunity to measure their strength against Alabama, as they host the Crimson Tide in Austin on September 10. Alabama is hungry, especially since it lost to the Georgia Bulldogs in the National Championship Game last January, so the Longhorns should be put to an acid test in that contest.