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DALLAS — It’s fitting that this event should take over the DFW area for the greater part of a week. The Big 12 has played its conference championship game less than 20 miles west of where the new-look SEC will gather for its annual media event on Monday. Oklahoma and Texas have won 5 of the 7 championships awarded in that stadium. The Cotton Bowl — the home of one of college football’s most unpredictable and remarkable rivalries — is a 10-minute drive away. The Big 12 has even held its own preseason media event at the Omni Hotel in Dallas. I’ve been. I expect it will look and feel much different on Monday.
The heart of Dallas was the heart of Big 12 country for years. But in the first official season with OU and Texas in the SEC, is doing its best Baker Mayfield impression and planting a flag. The 2 newbies should feel right at home.
Oklahoma takes the main stage on Tuesday, alongside Georgia, Missouri, and Tennessee. Texas follows suit on Wednesday, joined by Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi State.
LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt kick things off on Monday. Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky, and Texas A&M close things down on Thursday.
Here’s what I’m most looking forward to hearing throughout the week.
Confidence or grace from the newcomers?
Texas went to the College Football Playoff a season ago after winning 12 games and claiming a Big 12 title. The Longhorns return a quarterback that graces the cover of the first college football video game in a decade. They have the most popular backup quarterback in the country (or, in more practical terms, one of the better backups anywhere), an offensive dynamo calling plays, and a locker room that believes it can challenge for an SEC title right away.
Oklahoma rebounded from its worst season of the century to produce 10 wins in 2023 — its 19th double-digit-win season in the last 23 full years. The Sooners welcomed a top-15 class to Norman, transitioned to former 5-star quarterback Jackson Arnold, plugged holes in the transfer portal, and brought back their biggest names on defense. Oklahoma might not be a Playoff team in 2024, but the Sooners don’t expect to get rolled over by their new counterparts.
So what’s the tone from both sides this week? Is unabashed confidence broadcast? Texas has plenty of reasons to pump up its chest after last year’s breakthrough. Oklahoma has been one of the winningest programs in recent history. They joined the SEC because of their collective might, and Greg Sankey probably doesn’t want to see either program take a backseat to anyone. Doing so would cheapen the narrative-building potential of this new league.
But OU and Texas could also choose to play the week low-key. Talk about the history of the league. Talk about the strength of its depth. Talk about the challenge ahead. Maybe neither side wants to ruffle feathers here.
What’s the attitude toward the newcomers?
When Missouri joined the SEC, the Tigers went 2-6 against the league that first year but won 14 of their next 16 games against SEC opponents. Texas A&M won 11 games immediately and produced the Heisman Trophy winner that first year.
Oklahoma and Texas are the first additions the league has made since. OU’s schedule is seen as much more treacherous than UT’s, though the Longhorns will still face Georgia, they’ll still have their annual battle with OU, and they’ll reignite a rivalry with A&M.
But perceived strength might pale in comparison to what the 2 teams actually face when the season begins. As the new kids on the block, perhaps OU and Texas are the most wanted men in the league. Every other locker room will want to send a message that things have changed, or that things won’t be what either program expected.
Few players are likely to come out and provide either program with bulletin board material, but I’m anxious to hear how the players specifically talk about the new games on their schedule. What’s the approach? What’s the goal for those games (beyond the obvious)? Does Oklahoma get every team’s best shot regardless of how good Brent Venables’ squad is? Does Texas?
The Longhorns and the Aggies
Both sides will inevitably be asked about the reignition of their in-state rivalry. Texas A&M wasn’t thrilled to see Texas join the league years ago, and it’ll have a chance this year in College Station to let some frustration out of the bottle.
These 2 sides played each other every year from 1915 through 2011 before the Aggies left the Big 12. They haven’t played each other since. In 2020, Texas AD Chris Del Conte compared the rivalry to the Iron Bowl and claimed it should be played annually. That fell on deaf ears. It’ll be a big deal when they get together on Nov. 30, regardless of what either side says.
Some coaches let their respective fanbases play up rivalries and they allow their players to fell the swell of emotion that comes from playing in them. Some coaches take the “every game is important” approach and try their darnedest to convince everyone else that no 1 game is more important than the other. I’m anxious to hear the players talk about the resumption of the game. It could be a nice scene-setter.
Related: Texas is a 4-point favorite over Texas A&M in an early game line from Caesars. The Longhorns have won 9 of the last 12 meetings in the series, and they won the last meeting in 2011 by 2 points. Several other books have game lines up for throughout the 2024 season. Get signed up with one of our preferred sports betting apps and receive a first-deposit bonus to get you ready for the year.
Is there another realignment shift?
We’ve heard in recent weeks that Florida State and Clemson might be getting cozy with the Big 12. We’ve long known that neither school is particularly happy with the ACC. And we’ve long known they’re not alone in questioning what the future of that league holds.
When news broke back in 2021 that Texas and Oklahoma were defecting from the Big 12 and joining the SEC, media members were gathered for the SEC’s annual conference and they were en route to the Big Ten’s. That news quite literally broke the sport and kicked off a series of moves that have led to where we are now — the Pac-12 in shambles, Stanford playing Syracuse in Atlantic Coast Conference games, and UCLA trying to figure out how best to get its athletes to Piscataway, New Jersey, in mid-October.
Is realignment done? It might be for now, but it would also make sense for several parties to try and steal some headlines this week.
Any major news from Sankey?
Might the conference make some announcement about the future of the SEC’s league schedule? Is Sankey set to announce the future home of the media event? Does Sankey have anything notable on the NIL front? Or maybe he tells us which program he’s going to rebuild first when he gets his hands on EA Sports’ College Football 25 title.
Related reading: 10 storylines to follow at SEC Media Days from Connor O’Gara
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
