As Oklahoma and Texas begin to transition to the Southeastern Conference, a new model will have to be presented in order to more effective scheduling.
Rumors have circulated that the conference could do away with divisions in favor of four-team pods, where each team plays three SEC opponents on a yearly basis while rotating six other teams.
If the SEC were to switch to this format, Arkansas head coach [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] has an idea of who he wants to see every year, the Texas Longhorns.
“Personally, I love the rivalry games and would hate, once Texas gets into the league, not to play them every year, for the fans and everybody else,” Pittman said in an interview with ESPN’s Chris Low. “I’m not calling out Texas. Texas has a great program, and I have high respect for them. I’m just saying for the fans, and obviously for the team, because we’ve got a lot of Texas kids on our team, I think it would be a neat home-and-home each year.”
Pittman says that he is not issuing a challenge to Texas, but understands how important the rivalry between these old Southwest Conference foes means to the people of Arkansas.
“I would want to do that for the state of Arkansas and what it means to so many people here, to be able to play Texas every year,” Pittman said. “Now, I’m not saying, ‘Man, we want to play Texas.’ I’m not saying that. I’m saying — for the fans, for recruiting, for the tradition of this game and things of that nature — I would like to play that game every year. But, certainly, I’m not counting out the Longhorns by any stretch.”
As it stands with their current conference, the Big 12, Oklahoma and Texas are set to join the SEC on August 1, 2025. However, in a report by the Austin American-Statesman, both schools are looking at paying a massive $75-million buyout in order to join the league for the 2024 season.
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