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The Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns are set to start Year 1 in the SEC after officially making the transition from the Big 12 this summer. The Sooners will have a much tougher path to the conference championship game according to the preseason media poll.
The SEC wrapped up its annual media day event last week, culminating with a vote on league standings heading into 2024. The Longhorns would appear to have a cakewalk in comparison to its Red River rival.
College football writers and reporters made their predictions on how things will shake out in the year to come, with both squads receiving respect within their new league.
Texas, who’s fresh off a College Football Playoff appearance, is projected to finish second while Oklahoma landed in the top half of the conference at the No. 8 spot.
While the Sooners were picked ahead of eight other SEC teams, many in Norman are still unhappy. They believe the league catered to the Longhorns!
Texas plays six teams in the bottom half of the media poll while the Oklahoma Sooners’ schedule looks much more difficult.
These early votes never play out exactly how predicted, but they are a good gauge of what to expect on the field based on the knowledge we currently possess.
And from what we do know, we can make an educated guess. Some teams have proven coaching and talent returning following outstanding campaigns. Others have question marks.
Texas seemed to land a number of those programs entering the year with uncertainty while the Sooners will play the projected top dogs.
While the Longhorns do face Georgia, the anticipated SEC champion, the Sooners are the only other team listed in the Top 8 on Texas’s schedule.
They’ll also face teams listed ninth, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, and 16th (out of 16). That’s one playoff contender, and at least six teams the ‘Horns will likely be favored against.
Oklahoma, meanwhile, has the tall task of playing against teams 2-7 (Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU, Missouri, and Tennessee) while the Sooners also land South Carolina and Auburn. There isn’t a guaranteed win on the slate.
One is certainly more daunting than the other – at least at this point!
Many in the Big 12 grew tired of the league’s perceived pampering to the Longhorns in the past. It was one of the reasons Texas A&M bailed on the conference more than a decade ago – and one of the reasons they didn’t want them in the SEC.
The conference made a recent statement suggesting they wouldn’t show Texas any favoritism upon becoming a member. It was Oklahoma, though, on the short end of the stick in terms of Year 1 scheduling!