Quinn Ewers at the Manning Pass Academy stirred some flak among fan bases in the SEC for his presumptuous comments about Texas’ spotlight in the conference. He proudly claimed Texas is the biggest game for every opponent they face in their new conference. Granted, a reporter asked him that and Ewers agreed with him. Sadly, neither Texas nor their fans understand the possible rude awakening they face because they are moving up-weight divisions from the Big 12 to the South Eastern Conference. Instead of TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas, or even the new teams in the Big 12 (Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Arizona State), the Longhorns get their eight SEC opponents including fellow newcomer Oklahoma. Still, they will also get Michigan on the road in Week 2.
Now let’s take a look at the schedule. The first two opponents are Colorado State and Michigan. Already, you see two teams that have bigger meaningful games with in-state rivals. Colorado for Colorado State, Michigan State for Michigan, and let’s not ignore Michigan’s annual match-up with Ohio State. After playing UTSA and ULM in the following weeks, they play their inaugural conference debut versus Mississippi State. The Bulldogs may view Texas as a big game but it will never be more meaningful than the Egg Bowl with state rival Ole Miss. The next game is their Red River Rivalry with Oklahoma. This is both the Sooners and Longhorns’ biggest game of their seasons mutually. The following week, Georgia. Georgia has too many rivals both conference and out of conference to view Texas as a “Super Bowl.” Florida (WLOCP), Auburn (DSOR), Georgia Tech (COFH), Alabama, and even Clemson are way higher on the totem pole for who UGA wants to vanquish when slated to play.
After Georgia, Texas goes on the road to Nashville to see Vanderbilt. In the conference, Vandy is not considered a big rival to anyone but Tennessee. Commodores also have Alabama, LSU, Auburn, and out-of-conference opponent Virginia Tech to start the season. In addition, Florida Gators will play in Austin for the first time in program history. With oncoming bouts against Miami-FL, Tennessee, LSU, Florida State, and even UCF, the Gators have several meaningful match-ups down the pike before the Longhorns are notarized on UF’s calendar. Next, an old Southwest rival, the Arkansas Razorbacks. This you can argue for Texas being Arkansas’ biggest game of the year. If you don’t know how much Fayetteville despises Texas, look up their previous 2021 match-up. The only time I vividly remember the Arkansas fans appeared rabid. Up next, Kentucky. The Wildcats have a big in-state rival with Louisville, and up north bordering state rivalry with Tennessee. Finally, the season concludes with the revival of the hated in-state series with Texas A&M.
All of this in a simple summary, Texas may be the biggest game of the year for a few teams in the SEC, but they are from the biggest game for the majority. Additionally, it's odd to see such arrogance from a team and its fan base to assume they will dominate in the sport's greatest conference after spending the previous decade and a half in mediocrity in the Big 12. The Big 12 was frankly the Red River Rivalry and every other game. In the SEC, almost every week of conference play has storylines, thrilling action, and dreadful consequences for failure far exceed the rest of the nation. So, the Longhorns and their fans must be ready for what awaits them in the fall.
Comentários