Where were you on July 1, 2012? That’s the day Missouri and Texas A&M became official members of the Southeastern Conference.
What about July 1, 1991, the day Arkansas and South Carolina joined?
At the time, those events seemed like seismic shifts, expanding – or further expanding – the footprint of a conference that had been geographically aligned and mostly unchanged since its founding in 1932. In hindsight, those moves seem logical, almost natural extensions of the SEC’s footprint and philosophy of opening up new media markets while not seriously challenging the conference’s traditional powerbrokers in football.
That all changed Monday.
July 1, 2024, marked another significant shift for the SEC with the addition of Oklahoma and Texas, two traditional football powerhouses, bringing conference membership to 16. New conference mates bring new challenges but also new opportunities. So, let’s meet the new neighbors.
The University of Oklahoma
Nickname: Sooners
Mascot: Sooner Schooner (a wagon pulled by two white ponies)
Founded: 1890
Location: Norman, Okla.
Enrollment: 32,676
Endowment: $1.67 billion
Previous conference affiliations: Southwest (1915-19), Missouri Valley (1920-27), Big Six (1928-47), Big 7 (1948-59), Big 8 (1960-95), Big 12 (1996-2024)
Football national championships: 7 (1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2000)
Heisman Trophy winners: 7 (Billy Vessels, 1952; Steve Owens, 1969; Billy Sims, 1978; Jason White, 2003; Sam Bradford, 2008; Baker Mayfield, 2017; and Kyler Murray, 2018)
Historic rivals: Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Texas
Also known for: Men’s gymnastics (12 national championships) and softball (eight national championships)
Key takeaways: Oklahoma makes sense for the new-look SEC, both geographically and culturally. As a flagship university in a largely rural, sparsely populated state, it fits the mold of Arkansas, LSU and Ole Miss. OU is largely competitive in all sports but likely won’t seriously challenge for any conference championships in the near future (except for softball, where they’ll be the favorite on Day 1).
The University of Texas
Nickname: Longhorns
Mascot: Bevo (a Texas Longhorn steer)
Founded: 1883
Location: Austin, Texas
Enrollment: 52,384
Endowment: $44.8 billion
Previous conference affiliations: Independent (1893-95, 1905-12), Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1896-1904), Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1913-14), Southwest (1915-95), Big 12 (1996-2024)
Football national championships: 4 (1963, 1969, 1970, 2005)
Heisman Trophy winners: 2 (Earl Campbell, 1977; and Ricky Williams, 1998)
Historic rivals: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
Also known for: Baseball (six national championships, stealing Texas A&M’s coach), women’s track and field (12 national championships), volleyball (five national championships) and swimming and diving (24 national championships).
Key takeaways: Imagine if every Ole Miss alum were an actual attorney, and you’ll get a good sense of what’s coming. Texas will expect to compete in every sport and will expect to be consulted on all decisions moving forward. Picture Alabama with more money. Way more money. Texas fits with the SEC’s new western geography, but it’s a cultural unicorn. Austin is 50% larger than Nashville, and I’m not certain the average Nashville resident even knows where Vanderbilt is located.
For the existing 14 SEC residents, your property values just went up, but your streets are about to be a lot more crowded. And your neighborhood potlucks are about to get a lot more interesting. After all, it just means more.
Philip Poe is sports editor. He can be reached at [email protected]
Philip Poe is sports editor.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
