Current:Home > FinanceDon't believe Texas is ready for the SEC? Nick Saban does. So should you.-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Don't believe Texas is ready for the SEC? Nick Saban does. So should you.
View Date:2024-12-23 19:32:55
Texas isn’t quietly slipping into the SEC through the side door and observing the room before opening its mouth. Of course not. If everything is bigger in Texas, that includes the mouths.
Texas entered the nation’s fiercest, richest, deepest and most boastful conference like a steer in a china shop.
“We’re not just coming to compete. We’re coming to win,” Texas school president Jay Hartzell said on the eve of the Longhorns’ entrance into the SEC.
You thought the SEC had some kind of ego? You haven’t seen the SEC with Texas yet.
“We believe the SEC is where we belong,” Texas board of regents chairman Kevin Eltife said recently.
I believe he’s right.
The SEC enjoys football, money and stroking its ego. So does Texas.
These birds of a feather are finally flocking together.
Some have suggested the SEC will rein in Texas’ ego. I disagree. The SEC will give Texas’ ego room to breathe. Think Dennis Rodman with the 1990s Bulls. Never did Rodman’s ego find a more accommodating home.
SEC sure seems giddy to have Texas Longhorns
The SEC bent over backward to welcome the Longhorns. Not even the queen receives a reception like this.
On July 1, the SEC’s league office tweeted an official welcome to Texas before posting a welcome to Oklahoma. The SEC Network posted up in Austin for a live broadcast before broadcasting from Norman the next day.
Can you tell who's playing second fiddle?
The SEC also chose Dallas as host for the conference’s media days, marking the first time the event has ever been hosted west of Birmingham.
As excited as the SEC is to have added blue-blooded Oklahoma, I sense that it’s especially thrilled to have nabbed Texas. Why? Well, Texas oozes revenue. It’s one of college athletics' richest brands.
But, also, maybe the SEC realizes Texas is poised to become one of the biggest, baddest, boldest programs in this big, bad, bold conference.
Nick Saban endorses Texas football
Even the GOAT respects the Horns.
Nick Saban used to command the Wednesday spotlight during media days. Now, Saban occupies the SEC Network set, and he praised the Longhorns prior to their turn on stage Wednesday.
Saban, the seven-time national champion coach, picked Georgia and Texas to meet in Atlanta for the SEC championship game.
Saban saw firsthand the strength of Steve Sarkisian's program last season, when the Longhorns whipped Alabama inside Bryant-Denny Stadium en route to a 12-win season.
Saban questioned how the interior of Texas' defense will hold up after it lost some important pieces from a unit that ranked 15th nationally for scoring defense last year. Otherwise, Saban approves of Sarkisian's roster.
"I really like Texas," Saban said.
Apparently, Alabama retained Saban on the payroll to feed Texas rat poison.
And what of Texas' influence off the field? Texas wielded the biggest stick at the Big 12’s decision-making table. Saban suggested that stick won’t carry as much thwack inside the SEC’s board room.
“They’re not going to run the SEC,” he said. “There’s a whole lot of arrogant people in a lot of places in the SEC, so they can forget all about that.”
Hmm, we'll see about that. I expect Texas' clout will remain mighty.
As for Texas' football team, Saban thinks they'll get on fine in their new digs.
“They’ll be a good team and a great program,” Saban said, “and Sark will do a great job.”
And Texas will become the SEC’s best addition ever.
Texas played a role in the Southwest Conference’s demise. Its overbearing grip on the Big 12 contributed to that conference’s yearslong distrust and dysfunction.
In the SEC, though, Texas’ bravado won’t be out of place. The Longhorns found a conference that will embrace their ample ego.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's SEC Columnist. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
veryGood! (151)
Related
- Early Week 11 fantasy football rankings: 30 risers and fallers
- White Sox end AL record-tying losing streak at 21 games with a 5-1 victory over the Athletics
- US, China compete to study water on the moon: Why that matters for future missions
- 4 hotel employees charged with being party to felony murder in connection with Black man’s death
- Maine dams face an uncertain future
- Flush with federal funds, dam removal advocates seize opportunity to open up rivers, restore habitat
- No drinking and only Christian music during Sunday Gospel Hour at Nashville’s most iconic honky tonk
- Alligator spotted in Lake Erie? Officials investigate claim.
- Mechanic dies after being 'trapped' under Amazon delivery van at Florida-based center
- Can chief heat officers protect the US from extreme heat?
Ranking
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul stirs debate: Is this a legitimate fight?
- Last Chance Summer Sale: Save Up to 73% at Pottery Barn, 72% at Pottery Barn Teen, and 69% at West Elm
- Florida man charged after lassoing 9-foot alligator: 'I was just trying to help'
- Jenna Ortega speaks out on age-gap controversy with Martin Freeman in 'Miller's Girl'
- Congress is revisiting UFOs: Here's what's happened since last hearing on extraterrestrials
- Striking video game actors say AI threatens their jobs
- Authorities arrest man accused of threatening mass casualty event at Army-Navy football game
- Jury orders city of Naperville to pay $22.5M in damages connected to wrongful conviction
Recommendation
-
Mike Tomlin's widely questioned QB switch to Russell Wilson has quieted Steelers' critics
-
2024 Olympics: Why Simone Biles Addressed MyKayla Skinner's Comments Amid Win
-
Georgia election board says counties can do more to investigate election results
-
E! Exclusive Deal: Score 21% off a Relaxing Aromatherapy Bundle Before Back-to-School Stress Sets In
-
Judge sets April trial date for Sarah Palin’s libel claim against The New York Times
-
2024 Olympics: Ryan Lochte Reveals Why U.S. Swimmers Can’t Leave the Village During Games
-
All the 2024 Olympic Controversies Shadowing the Competition in Paris
-
E! Exclusive Deal: Score 21% off a Relaxing Aromatherapy Bundle Before Back-to-School Stress Sets In