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We're not in Kansas anymore: Texas draws exciting, rivalry-driven 2024 schedule

Eric Nahlinby:Eric Nahlin•06/14/23
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Barryn Sorrell (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

No offense to Kansas State or a Kansas Jayhawks program that has two wins over Texas since 2016, but the one-off schedule released by the SEC this evening for the 2024 season is a stark reminder of the jump in competition for Texas. 

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Imagine hearing during the depressing Covid season in 2020 that just four years later this would be UT’s home slate: 

Texas home games: Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State

Florida, like Texas, has had many ups and downs since their Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer heyday, but you know they’ll have comparable talent to most of their opponents. As Texas works to recruit the Sunshine State, this is a nice little selling point for Steve Sarkisian and staff.

Not much needs to be said about Georgia. The Bulldogs are the premier program in the country and could enter DKR after winning three National Championships in a row. I bet they’ll want to be ‘there’ this time. The hype around the game will be insane, but even more so if Arch Manning is the starting quarterback. Manning spurned Georgia for Texas, a move that surprised many, but not any at IT.

Kentucky is a well-coached team. Mark Stoops has two 10-win seasons at a basketball school in the most difficult football conference in the country. Yes, they play in the more favorable East but Stoops has done a good job.

Mississippi State routinely hangs with SEC heavyweights along the defensive line. It’s a physical program, even at times under Mike Leach. Miss St. has athletes that belong on the field with anyone. 

Neither Kentucky nor Mississippi States will be easy games. 

Texas away games: Arkansas, Oklahoma (neutral site), Texas A&M, Vanderbilt

Texas will be away from home to play its three truest rivals: Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas A&M. Everyone wants to be romantic about baseball, but get ready for repeated walks down memory lane in 2024.

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Party at Bobby Burton’s house for the Vanderbilt game. 

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In case you missed it, here is who the Sooners drew. 

OU home games: Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Texas (neutral)

OU away games: Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri 

I would say their schedule is slightly more favorable than UT’s, but they’re not in Kansas anymore either if you compare this 2024 slate to the Sooners’ favorable draw in their final year in the Big 12.

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We knew the SEC was going to come out with a bang, and bang they did.

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Before Texas plays its first official SEC game, they’ll travel to the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Jim Harbaugh will either be the head coach, or he won’t be. We probably won’t know until he flirts with the NFL again.

First thing’s first, Texas needs to finish its Big 12 tenure by raising the elusive Big 12 Championship trophy. That will propel the program into the SEC the right way.

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