Paul Finebaum on Texas, Oklahoma joining the SEC
Reports recently came out that Texas and Oklahoma will be attempting to make the jump to join the SEC. This news has left many wondering what comes next in college sports. The news was undoubtedly big, and the timing of it surprised many.
Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC has been in the works for years, says Paul Finebaum
“For many, it was the shot heard around college football,” Finebaum says. “A bombshell like any other. The ‘it just means more’ conference left the rest of college athletics with its mouth wide open in shock, and its collective jaw-dropping.”
To some, Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC was news that came out of nowhere. Finebaum says that the move has been years in the making.
“When the news broke in the middle of 2021 media days that Texas and Oklahoma were on the verge of joining the SEC, it was really years in the making,” said Finebaum. “The SEC has been slowly pulling away from the rest of college football. An impenetrable run of national titles, dominance in the NFL draft, titles in nearly every other sport coupled with a powerhouse media rights deal. Two of the biggest brands in collegiate sports realized exactly what everyone else has been saying for a long time. It’s impossible to compete with the SEC, so we may as well join them.”
The additions of Texas and Oklahoma undoubtedly make the SEC the most powerful collegiate conference.
“College football is at a tipping point never previously seen,” Finebaum says. “This isn’t about today, it’s about deep into the future. While some have debated or even rolled their eyes in the past when the SEC has beaten its chest about its position, almost everyone is now shaking their collective heads and vying for second place.”
Texas and Oklahoma are already two of the most well-known and successful programs in all sports even before joining the SEC. Both programs consistently see success on the field in a number of different sports. Their additions to the SEC will only add to the conference’s value.
“The University of Texas and Oklahoma are not only two of the winningest football programs, but they have been good at nearly everything else,” Finebaum said. “They are two of the most easily identifiable brands. Just the rivalry alone between each other grants them the most-watched and eagerly anticipated matchups of the year in college football. This is the game-changer of the new millennium. Something like this has never happened before. And even more upsetting to everyone else, it is not duplicatable.”
The only question remaining is how this move will impact the other conferences around college athletics. Many are speculating about potential realignments. Finebaum, though, thinks that things, as we know them, are done.
“Suddenly college conferences as we know them will no longer exist. The era of a super conference has been born. The domino effects in the game could be felt for a generation.”
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