Oklahoma football: Is Texas better positioned for move to SEC than OU?
By Chip Rouse
The general belief among those in the know in college football is that life in the SEC for both the Texas and Oklahoma football programs will be very different from life as they’ve known it in the Big 12.
That could turn out to be very prophetic, but of course we won’t know that until both teams complete the relocation beginning next fall.
There are already rumblings, however, that the Longhorns are better positioned to make the move a year from now than are their hated rivals from the neighboring state across the Red River. I guess when you are the consensus favorite to win the Big 12 in your final season in the conference it allows you license to make that claim.
Week 1 of the new college season is a little over a week away, and as usual we’ve been hearing all offseason that “Texas is back.” What’s with that? We’ve been hearing the same refrain for over a decade now, so excuse me if I’ve become tone deaf to that reality.
https://twitter.com/SoonerSteve1/status/1694467640159355176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1694467640159355176%7Ctwgr%5Ece26dc68bb12ea2ae9cbcf5c2daa7843bf2acb0d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kansascity.com%2Fsports%2Fspt-columns-blogs%2Ffor-petes-sake%2Farticle278549209.html
This is the first time since the Big 12 discontinued the two-division conference structure in 2011 that Texas has been voted No. 1 in the Big 12 Preseason Football Media Poll. Over that same time span, Oklahoma has been picked preseason No. 1 in the conference nine times. The Sooners were the No. 2 pick last season and are No. 3 this season.
Texas was 8-5 last season in Steve Sarkisian’s second season in Austin. That’s three wins more than the year before. People conveniently forget that the Longhorns were just 5-7 in Sarkisian’s first season at UT. In fact, going back three coaches before Sarkisian took the reins, Texas has had one 10-win season since 2011 and three 5-7 seasons over that time.
Yes, it is true that Brent Venables was 6-7 last season, his first as head coach at Oklahoma. That is clearly an unacceptable result at OU. But it’s still better than Sarkisian’s first year at Texas.
An 8-5 record at Oklahoma would still be a disappointment. At Texas, however, it appears to be cause for celebration and a strong omen for better things in the future. That’s still better than Texas’ first season under Sarkisian. Oh, and by the way, the Sooners have had nine seasons of at least 10 wins since 2011, including four 11-win seasons and three with 12 wins.
The Longhorns are perpetually in the top-10 in recruiting, but the results have not translated to the field since Texas last played in a national championship game in 2009.
Texas may, indeed, win the Big 12 this season, but that doesn’t mean the Longhorns will be a better team than Oklahoma in the inaugural 2024 SEC season for both schools. Recent history has proven otherwise.
Wouldn’t it be a great parting gift to the Big 12 if Oklahoma and Texas were the two teams that played in the Big 12 Championship on Dec. 2?
Venables and Company are out to prove that Oklahoma’s 2022 season was an anomaly. And when they do, guess what? The Sooners will be back, too!