When Texas announced it was moving to the SEC for the start of the 2024/2025 season, the scoffs from many SEC fans were heard loud and clear. And yet, now as we wind down the athletic season, it’s Texas that has the last laugh.
“I know a lot of people, Chris, that are frankly quite irritated that that’s happening,” Paul Finebaum half-jokingly said to Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte on his SEC Network show Tuesday. “We heard about Texas coming in and then you play for the SEC championship, you get within a moment of the national championship, you're winning the Director’s Cup. I mean, why does Texas always have to be like this? Why couldn't you go through initiation, orientation and maybe take your time before you were dominating?”
It definitely sticks in the craw of many SEC fans (especially those centered around College Station, TX) that the University of Texas has made an immediate splash in the SEC. But what should really scare those fans is that for the first time, maybe ever, Texas isn’t having to go it alone.
For years, Texas led the way in the college football world while the likes of Chuck Neinas, Bob Bowlsby, Dan Beebe et. al, followed along. Texas was the Jones’, but they were being led by the Billy Bob’s of the college football universe.
As realignment and other issues popped up, the Big 12 was consistently reactionary and losing power programs to the SEC and Big Ten. It was an unsustainable solution.
Now, with the move to the SEC, UT finally has a conference commissioner that is capable of standing up to the others and leading the way.
