6. Bulletin board material
At least for the 2024 season, those inside the locker rooms at both programs can play up the “why not us” mentality in the new league. For most media types, they seem to be expecting a bump in the road for the Longhorns and Sooners while the two elites adjust to life in the SEC as the new kids on the block. Gone are the days of favorable stretches in conference play with heightened roster advantages in terms of talent. Sure, there’s a bottom-tier within the league that others tend to beat up on annually, but from an overall talent perspective, no league in college football churns out NFL Draft picks like the SEC and grueling schedules happen as a result of the no-weekends-off mentality. While many have picked Texas to reach the playoff as a league newcomer, the same can not be said for the Sooners. Both schools are out to prove they belong.
