Oklahoma and Texas knew exactly what they were doing when they elected to join the Southeastern Conference ahead of the 2024 football season. And the history of both made them perfect fits.
Over the past quarter century, there should be little debate about which conference has been the strongest in college football. The SEC owns that distinction, and the numbers bear that out in spades.
SEC's dominance in college football isn't just a 25-year phenomenon
Since the 2000 season, 16 of the 25 national championships have been won by teams that are currently members of the SEC, and 14 were by founding members of the conference. Four of the past six national champions were from the SEC.
During the BCS era (1998-2013), 17 SEC teams from the current membership played for the national championship and 11 were ultimately crowned national champions, including Oklahoma in 2000 and Texas in 2005.
The College Football Playoff superceded the BCS format beginning with the 2014 season. Since the CFP was introduced as a means of determining the national champion, 25 SEC teams (out of the current membership) have participated in the playoff, including five this season. Six of the 11 national champions during the CFP era have come from the SEC.
The strength of the SEC in football, however, hasn't just evolved over the past 25 years. Much like newcomers Oklahoma and Texas, teams out of SEC have been winning a lot of games for a very long time. The SEC was founded in 1932, formed by 13 teams that broke away from the Southern Conference.
Ten of the SEC's founding members remain today. Arkansas and South Carolina joined in 1992, Missouri and Texas A&M left the Big 12 and became SEC members in 2012, and OU and Texas are the newest members of the conference, which now numbers 16 schools.
Of the 25 winningest college teams of all-time, eight are from the current SEC membership, including No. 5 Texas (970) and No. 6 Oklahoma (960).
Here is what the football standings of the SEC would look like if it were based on all-time winning percentage:
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (985-344-43, .733)
2. Oklahoma Sooners (960-351-53, .724)
3. Texas Longhorns (970-398-33, .704)
4. Tennessee Volunteers (883-421-53, .670)
5. Georgia Bulldogs (904-433-54, .669)
6. LSU Tigers (823-443-47, .644)
7. Florida Gators (770-458-40, .623)
8. Auburn Tigers (809-485-47, .621)
9. Texas A&M Aggies (797-511-48, .606)
10. Arkansas Razorbacks (749-555-40, .572)
11. Ole Miss Rebels (697-551-35, .557)
12. Missouri Tigers (729-598-52, .548)
13. South Carolina Gamecocks (647-625-44, .508)
14. Mississippi State Bulldogs (617-609-40, .503)
15. Kentucky Wildcats (652-662-44, .496)
16. Vanderbilt Commodores (573-650-43, .469)