For much of the 3+ years between the time it was announced that Texas would join the SEC and when they played their first SEC football game, the narrative was that Texas was “not SEC ready”. After all, they were in the midst of a 4-game losing streak to their bitter rival, the Oklahoma Sooners, and a decade mired in mediocrity when the announcements were made in the summer of 2021.
Under first-year Head Coach Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns would post an unimpressive 5-7 record in 2021, including 6 straight Big 12 losses, the worst of which being an OT loss at home to Kansas. Texas took a physical beating at the hands of their former SWC and future SEC rival, Arkansas. And who could forget the Red River Meltdown? A game that Texas led 28-7 at the end of the first quarter and 38-20 at halftime turned south quickly with the first of many 2nd-half letdowns in 2021. This was not the start Texas fans had envisioned when Coach Sark was announced as the head coach in January of 2021. The “not SEC ready” chants grew louder.
The 2022 campaign was solid at 8-5, with the key win of the season coming in a 49-0 beatdown of the Sooners in Dallas. 4 weeks prior, Texas went toe to toe with #1 Alabama in DKR, but Texas fans have never been much for moral victories. The season ended with an Alamo Bowl loss to upstart Washington. Despite the Longhorns improving from 5-7 to 8-5 with competitive outings against Bama and Washington, the “Not SEC Ready” chants grew louder still.
2023 was more like it for Texas fans. The Longhorns posted their first 10-win season since 2018, won the Big 12 Championship for the first time since 2009, and made their first CFB Playoff. There was that pesky last-second loss to the Sooners, but the double-digit win over powerhouse Alabama in Tuscaloosa was enough to prove that Texas was “SEC ready” right? Texas would go on to lose to Washington for the 2nd straight postseason in the CFB Playoff Semifinals and, inconceivably, the “not SEC ready” chants grew even louder.
Fast forward to today. Texas posted a 13-3 season record in their inaugural SEC campaign, including an SEC-best 7-1 regular season conference record, a road win over defending National Champion Michigan, beat all 3 of their traditional rivals by a combined score of 71-20, reached the SEC Championship game in year one, and was the conference’s lone representation in the CFB Playoff Semifinals. Sans a 15-minute stretch in the first half against Georgia on Oct. 19th that saw the Longhorns turn the ball over 3 times inside their own 34-yard line, Texas was more than competitive in the toughest conference in the land. One could argue they carried the SEC guidon in 2024.
Is Texas going to dominate the SEC? Probably not. To be blunt, the days of single-team domination are long gone from CFB, but backed by 4 consecutive Top 10 Recruiting classes, 3 of which were Top 5, and the #1 recruiting class for 2025, the Longhorns are poised to remain in the picture for seasons to come. Did Texas prove they are “SEC ready” in 2024? I’ll let you decide for yourselves. One thing is for certain, fellow Southeastern Conference brethren: The Eyes of Texas are upon you, you cannot get away!