It’s bigger, and it just means more: Texas’ jump to the SEC shows how much college sports is about to change

AUSTIN, Texas — High above the University of Texas campus, within the school’s iconic clock tower, a party ensues.

This is not any ol’ party. While more than 18,000 orange-clad fans sprawl across the 40 acres below celebrating the school’s entrance into the Southeastern Conference, a much more exclusive gathering unfolds above.

Mere hours before the conference move is official, the people who made the historic decision to leave the Big 12 and join the SEC mill about sipping on beverages and munching on snacks from within the wood-paneled walls of a near-100-year-old library-turned-presidential office.

Jay Hartzell, the university president, cleared out his digs for the soirée, his desk serving as a dessert table and his sun deck as an outdoor bar for those dignitaries receiving invitations. They include more than a dozen Texas head coaches; a handful of board of trustee members and boosters; SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, the person who opened the door when Texas knocked; and the man perhaps most responsible for the conference move: Hartzell’s athletic director, Chris Del Conte.

Soon, fireworks will shoot from the tower, the letters “S-E-C” will illuminate from its windows and, down below, Pitbull — Mr. Worldwide — will serenade the Texas faithful.

“Tonight,” Hartzell told the roaring crowd, “Pitbull is a Longhorn!”

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte was perhaps most responsible for the Longhorns’ bold move from the Big 12 to the SEC that altered college sports forever. (Yahoo Sports)

In a way, the party here on the Texas campus represents so much more than one school entering one conference. It is emblematic of a new era in college athletics, where the rich and powerful will hold more influence than ever.

The Longhorns’ move into the SEC, announced July 2021, triggered a tectonic series of…

Source link : https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/its-bigger-and-it-just-means-more-texas-jump-to-the-sec-shows-how-much-college-sports-is-about-to-change-115835101.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-07-03 11:58:35

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