July 26, 2021
680 THE FAN, ATLANTA – My reaction is the same as pretty much the one Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher had at SEC Media Days… Be careful what you wish for. 

If/when the SEC accepts Texas and Oklahoma as new members… I’ll welcome them in with open arms. If they want to play strong competition in college football’s best league, they’re welcome to join up. 

I think this needs to be looked at as good for those who were already the 14 members of the conference. It doesn’t change anything for them. It also isn’t going to change things miraculously for Texas. 

I’ll just speak from what I know of the fanbases. The said, I’m not as familiar with Oklahoma’s, as I am with Texas. 

For Texas, their football issues are simple. They don’t get the same players as they did when Mack Brown had Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium rocking from 2004 to 2009. 

Recruiting has slipped for the Longhorns and the results are what we’ve seen over the last 10-plus seasons. Texas has not been relevant since losing to Alabama in that national title game to end the 2009-10 season. 

Culture at Texas has also held them back. Kids in the state of Texas don’t pick the Longhorns because “they’re Texas.” So what? I want to play in Austin and go 8-4 every year? How about no…

There’s a reason that Nick Saban, Ed Orgeron and Jimbo Fisher have eaten Texas’ lunch in recruiting… They can actually sell tangible results and the hardware to prove it. Plus, they’re in the game’s best football league. 

There was a time that hiring Steve Sarkisian would have been beneath UT’s hiring standards as a football program. Those days are gone. Current athletic director Chris Del Conte accepted that reality and went out to get college football’s hottest assistant coaching prospect, over a proven head coach. 

Texas needs the SEC. Oklahoma does as well. 

The Sooners have year in and year out been good enough to make the College Football Playoff. However, they have not been good enough to win a semifinal game. They’ve been four times and lost all four times. 

The good news for OU, is they’ve recruited very well since Lincoln Riley took over the program in 2017. According to 247Sports, the Sooners have not brought in no worse than the 12th best (2020) signing class. This means that Riley is getting good enough players to compete for a national title. 

There shouldn’t be much of a surprise, that Texas wants in to the SEC. I’ve already mentioned their relative lack of success (by their standards) on the recruiting trail. All of those schools that I mentioned earlier are a huge reason for their lack of championship success. 

One of the main culprits of their recruiting frustration, was in their own state last week speaking to the Texas High School Coaches Association annual convention in San Antonio. You guessed right… That man was Nick Saban. 

Over the last few recruiting cycles, Saban and his Alabama program have been able to treat the Lone Star State as almost like a home base for their recruiting efforts. Saban is incredibly calculated and it’s no mistake that he made that trip to San Antonio for the sole purpose of a speaking engagement. He wants to keep that success going. 

It was only about a day after the Crimson Tide coach was in Texas, that the Longhorns and Sooners to the SEC rumors broke. Is it THE reason why the movement started? No, it’s not. But, it’s also another reason why these two programs are looking for a better possibility of success than their current standing.

The Big 12 for Texas and Oklahoma has a ceiling. They’re now starting at a lower level in the next building over, that is taller than the current one they reside in. The SEC is the right move for them. 

As for the fans of programs who are currently in the SEC, don’t be afraid. Embrace them and get ready for even better competition. 

Brand names are good for college football. Two of the major brands in college football joining the league is nothing but a good thing.