Since July 2021, when it was announced they were departing the Big 12 for the SEC, both athletic programs have been preparing for this transition.
Texas enters the SEC with significant momentum, having just completed their most successful season in years, winning the Big 12 title and advancing to the semi-finals of the College Football Playoff.
Oklahoma also rebounded last year, finishing 10-3 in Brent Venables’ second season after a 6-7 record in his first year.
However, this still doesn’t answer whether these historic programs are ready to compete at the highest level of college football.
The last two Big 12 members to join the SEC, Missouri and Texas A&M, have combined for two SEC Championship appearances, losing both.
According to FanDuel odds, the Longhorns enter the SEC with the second-best odds of winning the conference (+350), while the Sooners are ninth (+3300).
Pro Football Focus ranked the Longhorns’ 2024 schedule as the fifth-toughest in the country, with the Sooners’ schedule ranked 14th.
“Adapt or die,” Sarkisian told CBS Sports.
That may very well be the case, as even before the Longhorns begin SEC play, they travel to Ann Arbor to face Michigan at The Big House.
Texas’ SEC home opponents will be Mississippi State, Georgia, Florida, and Kentucky. They’ll go on the road to face Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Texas A&M. The game against Oklahoma will remain a neutral-site showdown in the Cotton Bowl.
Oklahoma faces potential out-of-conference threats in Houston and Tulane in early September before starting SEC play.
They’ll host three SEC games against Tennessee, South Carolina, and Alabama. Their road games include trips to Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri, and LSU.
“I wouldn’t say a whole lot has changed,” Venables said. “I think the easy thing to do is say, ‘OK, now I have to get the SEC binder.’ That’s not what I learned from Bob Stoops, Bill Snyder, or Dabo Swinney. You need a foundation of core beliefs and things you value. You always adapt and adjust. That should never stop.”
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