Peyton Manning says Oklahoma, Texas joining SEC will ‘only make it better’

Peyton Manning is a fan of Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC, as he detailed at the Manning Passing Academy held at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La.

Manning, a former Tennessee quarterback, loves the SEC. He acknowledged he was a little biased since he played for the Volunteers, but only pointed out the positives of two new schools joining the conference.

Time for some exciting new rivalries and possibilities beginning in 2024.

“I guess I kind of knew that it was kind of in the mix,” Manning said. “I’m biased. I think it’s the top conference and great competition and those two storied programs, I think, will only make it better and creates, I think, some interesting rivalries as well.”

Not only will Texas and Oklahoma joined a new-look SEC, the conference will go to single standings and eliminate divisions.

That was seen as a big win for the SEC.

“They haven’t been (abolished) yet. But our focus, as I’ve indicated, has been consistently on the single standings model,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. “I was told not to say single division. A single standings model has been and remains the focus.”

Since the additions of Texas A&M and Missouri, the SEC has held onto a division system that featured seven teams in two divisions. Now, with Oklahoma and Texas on the way, that seems to be a needed change considering the number of teams and, frankly, the competition level of the conference overall.

To increase quality competition, many questioned why the SEC didn’t go to a nine-game conference schedule, particularly with Oklahoma and Texas coming in.

As Manning alluded to, the additions should increase quality of play right away. But the SEC remained at an eight-game conference schedule for 2024.

“We have been engaged in planning for the entry of Oklahoma and Texas into the SEC since the summer of 2021, but the change of the membership date from 2025 to 2024 creates scheduling complexities that can better be managed with a one-year schedule,” Sankey said. “Creating a one-year schedule will provide a longer on-ramp to manage football scheduling around existing non-conference commitments of our members.

“It will also provide additional time to understand the impact of an expanded College Football Playoff and engage with our media partners as we determine the appropriate long-term plan for SEC football scheduling. During this time of change, our fans will continue to enjoy traditional rivalries and begin to see new matchups presented by the addition of two historically successful football programs to the SEC.”

The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon contributed to this article