In front of a packed stadium in Pasadena, California, Sony Michel took the direct snap. With Jake Fromm blocking in front of him, Michel saw nothing but green grass as he crossed the goal line and punched Georgia’s ticket to the national championship. The play capped off one of the most memorable games in Georgia football history, as the Bulldogs earned a 54-48 victory over Oklahoma in double overtime of the 2018 Rose Bowl.
With Oklahoma and Texas officially joining the Southeastern Conference this year, games such as the 2018 Rose Bowl have the potential to become the norm.
“It’s the best football game I’ve ever attended,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said of the battle between the Bulldogs and Sooners. “Imagine that happening over, and over and over on Saturdays in the fall.”
The additions of Texas and Oklahoma add to an already powerful football conference. The Longhorns feature one of the top offenses in the SEC with quarterback Quinn Ewers and wide receiver Isaiah Bond, while Sooner head coach Brent Venables steadied a defense that struggled under previous head coach Lincoln Riley.
Joining a conference such as the SEC could be intimidating for many programs. However, Texas and Oklahoma combined for seven of the last nine Big 12 conference championships and do not lack confidence.
“It’s definitely a different level,” Ewers said of joining the SEC. “Like [the reporter] said, we’re everybody’s biggest game.”
With the additions of the two teams, the SEC is doing away with divisions. Rather than have the winners of the East and West face off in the SEC Championship in Atlanta, the conference will instead select the top two teams based on conference records.
The SEC opted to stick with an eight-game conference schedule, rather than the debated nine-game one. Teams received two permanent opponents with six rotating ones. Sankey said the schedule would be based on “fairness and balance” with “traditional rivalries” playing a major factor.
The Bulldogs received Florida and Auburn as their permanent opponents and will travel to Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss and others in 2024. A season-opening game against Clemson is also on Georgia’s schedule, which is one of the toughest in the country.
Despite their high-caliber opponents, the Bulldogs still have a strong chance at making the college football playoffs. The NCAA expanded the playoffs from four teams to 12. The move gives conference champions an automatic bid and opens the door for more teams with lesser records. For head coaches, the additional games also create questions regarding practice strategies.
“Do people start holding people out for byes and home games in the playoffs,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “It’ll be interesting to see what the 12-team playoff brings about. Coaches are already talking about it across the country. Are you going to practice different? It’s going to be a longer season. Are you going to hold back more? How are you going to manage the extra games?”
The impact of Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC does not stop on the gridiron. On the basketball court, the Longhorns made their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament, while the Sooners’ made the women’s bracket for the third straight year.
Oklahoma is also regarded as a softball powerhouse, with the Sooners winning the previous four Women’s College World Series. The newest member of the SEC also won two of the previous three gymnastics titles, prior to LSU hoisting the trophy.
Texas and Oklahoma also showcase strong performances on the diamond. Both made the NCAA Tournament but fell in their respective Regional rounds. With the Longhorns’ hiring of former Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle, the rivalries between SEC schools are fully ignited.
Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC is just the latest of moves in the “new-look” college sports. With the expanded playoffs, bigger conferences and no more Pac-12 after dark, the new era will be unfamiliar but exciting for fans across the country.
