SEC expansion: Best, worst scenarios for Texas, Oklahoma in first season as league members

The SEC will see its ranks swell for the first time since 2012 and just the second time since the turn of the century as Texas and Oklahoma join the fold. While the Longhorns and Sooners don’t expand the SEC’s geographical footprint too much, they do add to the league’s already significant total of college football blue bloods. 

But just because Texas and Oklahoma have historical success doesn’t mean the transition to a new conference will be seamless. The Sooners have the more difficult overall schedule on paper but the Longhorns will host Georgia on Oct. 19 in arguably college football’s game of the year.

Still, many have penciled in Texas as an immediate competitor, while Oklahoma seems like a bit more of a wild card. Regardless of preseason outlook, the range of outcomes varies wildly with moves like these. We’ll look at the extremes, though the actual result likely lies somewhere in the middle. 

Here are the best- and worst-case scenarios for Texas and Oklahoma as they make a move to the SEC. 

Texas 

Best case: Texas could take this thing all the way to a national title. The Longhorns are already a trendy pick to compete for an SEC championship and seem about as close as one can get to a lock for a return to the College Football Playoff. Coach Steve Sarkisian has this program firing on all cylinders, with elite recruiting and a steady build towards a national breakout finally paying off in 2023. QB Quinn Ewers is back to lead an offense bolstered by key receiver transfers, a rising star in running back CJ…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/sec-expansion-best-worst-scenarios-for-texas-oklahoma-in-first-season-as-league-members/

Author : Will Backus

Publish date : 2024-06-26 20:20:57

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