Barry Switzer pulls no punches on Oklahoma move to the SEC

Barry Switzer didn’t hold back when speaking on Oklahoma’s move to the SEC. The former Sooners head coach pulled no punches in his conversation with Mark Packer on SiriusXM.

“We can play with Georgia. We can play with Florida,” Switzer said. “LSU is down. You know – they had that one big run, but they’ve come back to earth. We’ll be on the top tier, I promise you that.”

The Sooners have been the class of the Big 12 in recent years, winning the conference each of the last six seasons. And since 2017, Oklahoma has made the College Football Playoff three times. 

As Oklahoma readies to join the SEC in 2025, talk of whether they’ll be able to cut it in the conference has run rampant. Seven-time SEC Coach of the Year, Steve Spurrier, questioned why the Sooners think they’ll enjoy the same level of success in the SEC.

“I’m sort of surprised by Oklahoma,” Spurrier said, per SI.com. “I just don’t think they’re going to come over to the SEC and win with any regularity the way that they win the Big 12.”

Spurrier is considered a legend throughout the SEC, both as a player and coach. As a player at Florida, he won the Heisman Trophy in 1966. As a coach at his alma mater, Spurrier won the SEC six different times, including winning the first national championship in Florida’s history in 1996.

Evidently, Switzer doesn’t fear Spurrier’s Gators. He specifically recalled his Sooners defeating Florida in the 2020 Cotton Bowl. In that game, Oklahoma dominated Florida to the tune of a 55-20 victory.

“We handled Florida,” Switzer said. “Florida can make all the excuses they want about why they didn’t get into the championship game . . . but we kicked their butts pretty good. We went out and played pretty good that night, in the bowl game.”

Switzer doesn’t fear the SEC, and evidently neither does Lincoln Riley. The current Sooners head coach had his offense humming against the Gators last season. Returning quarterback Spencer Rattler threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns as Oklahoma’s high-powered offense carved up Florida’s defense.

While there’s juice to a potential Oklahoma and Florida rivalry, we’ll have to wait to see them face off again. Oklahoma’s move to the SEC isn’t scheduled to take place until 2025, although that timetable can always change.

Of course, the Texas Longhorns will be joining Oklahoma in their move to the first 16-team conference. Switzer stated that although Texas has been in a rut as of late, every week in the SEC will be like playing the Longhorns.

“Texas has been down some the last several years, but Texas has been the powerhouse on our schedule,” Switzer said. “I know that we’re going to have our best every weekend. There’s no Kansas here.”

The SEC gives Oklahoma a bevy of new, exciting matchups to look forward to. However, Switzer’s comments echo the fact that they’re joining to win, not make friends.

Image courtesy of Brett Deering / Stringer via Getty Images