The Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns will spend one final season in the Big 12 before they make the jump to the best conference in the nation, the SEC.
SEC media days were filled with questions about the readiness of the Red River Rivals for their move to the SEC. Most coaches and players thought they are ready, even if analysts have some skepticism.
Making an appearance on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” Billy Liucci shared why he thinks Texas is more ready.
Texas is doing a (expletive) of a lot better job than OU is in terms of preparing to come into this league. Sooner fans are in for the rudest awakening because they’ve been going, except last year, 10-2, 11-1, making the playoffs. They’ve been doing that because they’ve been doing it against the Big 12. – Liucci, TexAgs via The Paul Finebaum Show
He added the success Texas has had in recruiting has created a talent gap between the Longhorns and Sooners’ rosters.
These comments scream someone who isn’t following what is happening in Norman. Texas has recruited well, but Oklahoma had a top-five class a year ago, too, and has a better class than the Longhorns this season. The Sooners are trending toward another top five class in the 2024 recruiting cycle.
The nation better hope Brent Venables doesn’t land two, let alone three, five-star defensive linemen in this class. It may sound crazy, but doubt Venables and this coaching staff at your own peril.
The other part is him dismissing the recent success of the Sooners by saying, “They’ve been doing it against the Big 12.” Did Liucci forget what conference Texas is in?
Texas has had one 10-win season since 2010. While last year was an improvement, the Longhorns still went 8-5 (just two games better than the Sooners) but are being discussed like they just went 11-2.
Since 2000, the Sooners have won fewer than nine games in a season four times. An 8-5 record at Oklahoma is looked at as a disappointment. Is that what’s considered successful at Texas?
Now, it doesn’t help that one of those seasons was a year ago, and it was the worst since the turn of the century. However, that looks like it’s going to be an aberration more than the beginning of a trend.
The argument for Texas being more prepared is simple. It started its rebuild two years ago with its new head coach. Oklahoma began its first and hopefully their last phase, just a year ago. The Longhorns have a head start on the Sooners.
But as we’ve seen the last decade, Oklahoma’s rebuilds are very short, whereas Texas is in the midst of one. Until Texas proves it is actually back, I wouldn’t be saying it is more prepared than anyone.
It had better win at least 10 games this year and compete for the conference title or it’s very possible Steve Sarkisian will not be there much longer.
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