As the College Football Playoff approaches its climax, the stage is set for a dramatic showdown between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl semifinal. For Texas, this marks not only a critical opportunity to reach the national championship game but also a clash with a history of tension, rivalry, and even disdain. But this year, the animosity seems to be bubbling from an unexpected source—the SEC. Yes, the same SEC that Texas is set to join in 2024. The Longhorns, traditionally known for their dominance in the Big 12, have quickly become the target of ridicule and frustration within their soon-to-be conference.
The problem? Texas is now the last remaining SEC affiliate to fight for glory in the College Football Playoff. For the SEC faithful, this has created an uncomfortable conundrum. The Longhorns are a new member, an interloper, if you will, in a space that has historically belonged to the proud and powerful teams of the conference. And the growing resentment from SEC fans is not just about competition on the field—it’s about the narrative Texas has built for itself and how that narrative rubs the SEC the wrong way.
The SEC’s Changing Sentiment
For years, SEC fans have rallied behind a unified banner of college football dominance. The SEC has long been viewed as the most powerful, competitive conference in the nation, and fans have adopted the role of the loyal defenders of that legacy. Year in and year out, SEC teams dominate the College Football Playoff, and the conference is typically overrepresented in the postseason picture. Historically, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and others have been the face of that success, with SEC fans taking pride in their ability to represent the epitome of college football.
But with the arrival of Texas on the horizon, things are starting to change. As Texas prepares to join the conference in 2024, their inclusion has stirred something unexpected within the hearts of SEC fans. Rather than welcoming the Longhorns as one of their own, there’s been a palpable backlash from SEC loyalists who see Texas as a threat to the carefully crafted narrative of SEC supremacy. They’ve already begun to view the Longhorns as outsiders, and the sudden rise of this disdain has been difficult to ignore.
Texas as the Villain
If it weren’t for Texas, the narrative might be different. In the eyes of many, Texas is no ordinary newcomer—Texas is a team with an unshakable sense of entitlement, a brand so large and powerful that it casts a shadow over the competition. The Longhorns carry with them an air of arrogance that many of the SEC faithful find hard to stomach. From their reputation in the Big 12 to their status as one of the most recognizable brands in college football, Texas has long carried itself with an unapologetic swagger.
This swagger hasn’t gone unnoticed. For many SEC fans, it is the root of their disdain for Texas. It’s as if the Longhorns have arrived, uninvited, to the SEC party, and they’ve brought with them a sense of superiority that doesn’t sit well with the blue-collar ethos of the SEC. Michael Bratton, host of That SEC Podcast, a popular podcast among SEC fans, explained that this animosity stems from the arrogance displayed by Texas fans.
He mentioned that 80 percent of his audience is rooting against Texas to win the College Football Playoff, and it’s not because of anything personal. It’s because of how Texas has presented itself and how its fanbase has continuously carried the banner of arrogance. In the SEC’s eyes, the Longhorns are seen as a team that is too big for its own good, a team that may never earn the respect it craves from the die-hard fanbases of SEC teams.
“If it were anyone but Texas, things might be different,” Bratton said. “But the arrogance from those (Texas) fans has already rubbed most the wrong way.”
In essence, Texas has quickly and decisively assumed the role of villain in the eyes of SEC fans—perhaps not by design, but by reputation. The arrival of a program with such a rich history, a massive fanbase, and an inflated sense of self-worth has created a perfect storm of resentment.
Texas’ Journey from Darling to Enemy
It’s difficult to deny that Texas has a storied football history. The Longhorns have won four national championships and have produced some of the best players in college football history. But now that Texas is preparing to join the SEC, their once-untouchable status has quickly been challenged by SEC fans who view their entry as an encroachment on their territory.
In the months leading up to the Longhorns’ move to the SEC, there was much talk of how the addition of Texas would change the landscape of the conference. While some fans eagerly anticipated the fierce rivalries and high-profile matchups, others expressed skepticism and unease. Texas, after all, is no stranger to making waves, and their entry into the SEC has been greeted with a sense of trepidation.
As the Longhorns have gone from being a beloved underdog to a highly successful powerhouse, that shift has sparked resentment. The SEC is not a conference known for embracing outsiders, and now that Texas is joining the fold, it seems the wounds are already festering. Rather than seeing Texas as another team to compete against, SEC fans have begun to view the Longhorns as a looming threat—a program that could one day overshadow the SEC’s long-standing dominance.
The SEC vs. Texas: The Final Frontier
As Texas prepares for its semifinal battle against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, it finds itself in a bizarre position. For the first time in a long while, the SEC’s fate in the College Football Playoff may hinge on the success or failure of the Longhorns. With Georgia already eliminated from contention, Texas is the last hope for the SEC to keep its stranglehold on college football.
Yet, the irony is hard to ignore. SEC fans, who have long prided themselves on their support of all things SEC, are now left in a position where they must choose between supporting Texas or rooting against it. The idea of rooting for Texas is simply unthinkable to many, especially given the history of rivalry, competition, and perceived arrogance that has defined the Longhorns’ image.
It is as if Texas has inadvertently become a poison pill that the SEC fanbase now realizes it must swallow. Whether or not the Longhorns can pull off a victory over Ohio State and claim a spot in the national championship remains to be seen. But one thing is certain—Texas is already being embraced by some SEC fans with open arms and rejected by others with equal fervor.
In the end, no matter what happens on the field, the relationship between Texas and the SEC is sure to be complicated, filled with passion, resentment, and perhaps even a little bit of grudging respect. For the Longhorns, however, it may just be the beginning of a new chapter in their rivalry with the mighty SEC.
