Former ESPN college football analyst says Oklahoma is a better program than Texas

Former ESPN analyst and Lombardi winner for the Georgia Bulldogs believes the Oklahoma Sooners are abetter program than Texas.

In 2023, the Texas Longhorns finally lived up to the hype that has driven the program for much of the last decade.

They won the Big 12 (their fourth conference title) and they made the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] (their first appearance). Now, they’re one of the favorites to contend for the SEC title after coming in second in the SEC media poll last week.

While Texas came in second behind perennial favorite Georgia, the Sooners were predicted to finish eighth. But are the Sooners that far off from the Texas Longhorns?

David Pollack is two-time All-American, two-time SEC defensive player of the year and a Lombardi winner. The former ESPN college football analyst joined the “Crain and Company” show to discuss the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns. When asked if Texas is that much better than Oklahoma entering the SEC, Pollock took the time to remind everyone who’s had the upper hand.

“Like the better program is Oklahoma,” Pollock said. “Let me be clear, the better program is Oklahoma. They went to the College Football Playoffs four times. Texas went to one, and that year, by the way, they lost to Oklahoma. Oklahoma is 7-3 against Texas (in their last 10 games). Like they’ve been a much better program overall than Texas.”

The Oklahoma Sooners have had more success in the head-to-head matchup and at the conference level for much of the last two decades. Texas has had a better record the last two seasons, but as Pollock mentions, the Sooners beat the Longhorns in 2023.

While the SEC media poll portrays a significant gap between the Red River Rivals, they may be a lot closer than many think. With three straight top-eight recruiting classes, the Oklahoma Sooners have built one of the best rosters in the country. They rank above the Longhorns in blue-chip ratio heading into 2024, and only Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Texas have recruited better than the Sooners over the last three recruiting cycles.

Texas may be getting all of the love heading into 2024, but it is not six spots better in the SEC than the Oklahoma Sooners.

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