Texas now just win away from doing what some in SEC feared

When it was first announced the Texas Longhorns were going to join the SEC, a lot of folks groaned. Nobody thought they would be playing for a football title anytime soon.

It is very possible that will happen. All Texas has to do is beat Texas A&M next Saturday night on ABC. Considering those two haven’t played since 2011 after about a century of wars, the SEC is rolling 7’s after the roll of the dice with expansion. The number of eyeballs on that game will be huge.

But the biggest surprise is nobody really figured the Longhorns and Oklahoma would be that big of a factor for a few years coming from the Big 12. Most people don’t pay attention to history and assume things are so much better with SEC football than anywhere else they will have to adapt.

When the league brought in the Aggies and Missouri in 2012, many were saying it would be a decade before their football programs could compete. A&M won 10 games their first year while the Tigers won the SEC East in their second and third years in the league.

You are dam right. We don’t need a SEC bias card. We are Texas. It has been a pleasure going 10-1 this season and pissing off each and every sec team and their fans. If Texas makes it and wins The SEC Championship, look out there’s a new sheriff in town. Hook’Em 🤘 pic.twitter.com/oNgEPfYGd7

— Xander DiMera (@LonghornPhenom) November 24, 2024

While it may be true that Texas can’t just do whatever it wants in the SEC like they did in the Big 12, not being able to compete immediately was never going to happen. Steve Sarkisian was planning for teams at that level before they even announced the move.

He just might have reached it with this year’s team. Oh, they did get blasted at home by Georgia a month ago, but that’s not too surprising. It also has nothing to do with how they’re playing now.

While the SEC has become a junior varsity version of the NFL, the playoffs has changed everything. Now we’re all wondering if a three-loss team can make it into the 12-team field. Even SMU is on the verge of breaking into the conversation.

Texas getting to that level this first year in the league is what a lot of people were scared to death could happen. Whether you like them or not, they have that blue-blood brand without the number of national titles.

They also happen to have a pretty good team. The Longhorns will be favored over the Aggies in College Station on Saturday night. ESPN’s matchup predictor has Texas heavily favored and the early lines will be interesting to see.

Woke up in 1st place in the SEC… pic.twitter.com/YP1yGlumal

— The Tunnel Longhorns (@TheTunnel_Texas) November 24, 2024

A&M managed to take a terrible Auburn team to four overtimes before finding a way to fold up in the fourth overtime. That left the Longhorns standing alone as the only one-loss team headed to the final week of games.

If everything holds up to what is expected, it will be Texas and Georgia playing in the SEC Championship Game the following week in Atlanta. Don’t be surprised to hear the Longhorns complaining about a home game for the Bulldogs and suggesting the game should be played in Houston or Arlington down the road.

Don’t even ask about the whining and carrying on if Texas wins the game. Arkansas, Missouri and the Aggies will just say, “we told you so.” They saw it for decades in the old Southwest Conference, Big 8 and Big 12.

The rest of the league will just find out they play almost well enough to back up all of the arrogance.