Big 12 analyst: Oklahoma’s future scares me more than Texas’
The Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns enter the SEC in 2024.
The excitement is palpable for both programs as they move to their new league, but the future might be brighter for Texas than Oklahoma in the first two seasons.
Heartland College Sports’ Pete Mundo has the same outlook on the two teams. He voiced his view on Texas and Oklahoma in their move to the new conference.
“If I’m looking at the former Big 12 teams, I’m like, Oklahoma concerns me a lot more about what their future holds in the SEC than Texas’. … If you told me this when these two teams announced they were leaving back in 2021 I would have said no way. But once again, here we are. Lincoln Riley’s gone. Brent Venables in. In large part, I think the jury is still out in some degree. And, uh, Steve Sarkisian has that thing humming down in Austin.”
Oklahoma boasts a strong team for the 2024 season in my estimation. Earlier this offseason, I predicted that the Sooners would upset the Alabama Crimson Tide in Norman. That said, where the team lacks is of concern heading into Year 1 in the SEC.
The Sooners’ new conference is a line of scrimmage league. Frankly, the offensive and defensive lines have been what separates the conference from other leagues. Oklahoma replaces all five offensive line starters from a season ago. Texas returns four of five from last year with what should be one of the biggest lines in the SEC.
Mundo went on to explain that while Oklahoma isn’t what it was in its recent run of contention that he doesn’t see the team falling off like Nebraska. Even so, Texas and Oklahoma appear to be on different footing to those outside the rivalry.
Oklahoma will look to surprise like it did in 2023 as it enters its third year with Brent Venables.
