SEC commissioner Greg Sankey talked about how rewarding it is for the conference to be adding Texas and Oklahoma to the fold starting July 1, 2024 during an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show.
"Having had the chance to see Oklahoma's president last week and talk about the excitement," Sankey said (h/t Sportskeeda). "I talked to (Texas Longhorns Athletic Director) Chris Del Conte today of their plans. Then to see the social media reaction to the logo being painted on the field at Austin and in Norman in advance of the football season is pretty cool and rewarding."
Bringing on UT and OU is a revenue success, first and foremost, but it also gives the conference a chance to run up the scoreboard on all-time College Football Playoff championships with the Big Ten a threat to bring on Clemson and its multiple titles if/when the ACC implodes. Since Missouri and Texas already stretched the definition of the word "Southeastern," bringing on Oklahoma and the Lone Star State's premier program is a cultural win for the region too.
SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 split from rest of NCAA's Division I
Sankey is now prepared for a college football apocalypse with Texas and Oklahoma in tow. If the SEC has to stage its own playoff down the line, it has 16 teams that are mostly worthy for such a spotlight in any given year.
Even if that's not the case, the SEC is now neck and neck with the Big Ten in the Power 4 arms race for talent after USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon went B1G for the 2024 season and beyond.
In this brave new world where the Power 4 is not far off from pro sports, the SEC is equally as attractive as the Big Ten from a depth perspective, but is ahead in tradition as it maintains its cultural identity and doesn't expand into other regions; Mizzou aside and Oklahoma and Texas more than forgiven with their imminent contributions to the conference.