SEC Football: Oklahoma, Texas Receiving Two Very Different Expectations Heading Into SEC

The SEC is getting better in 2024. Adding Oklahoma and Texas, two elite programs are joining the gauntlet of a college football conference for the first time. While it’s just an addition of two teams to a conference with a long list of title contenders, everything will change for the Sooners and Longhorns.

As two programs with one of the most storied rivalries in college football — Red River Rivalry — watching how each of the programs fare in their first campaign in the SEC will be interesting, and they’ll be compared given their history with one another.

Despite both programs being very, very solid last season — with Oklahoma defeating Texas in their rivalry matchup — the Longhorns are heading into the SEC with much more favorable odds than the Sooners.

ESPN’s FPI favors Longhorns over Sooners in year one in SEC

ESPN’s Football Power Index is among the largest talking points as college football is in the thick of the offseason. The computer-generated rankings naturally favor SEC and Big Ten programs — the two power conferences in college football. Georgia ranks No. 1 in the nation and in the SEC, of course, for the 2024 college football rankings. How does the rest play out, though?

Texas not only tops Oklahoma, but they’re the No. 2-ranked SEC team and No. 3 team in the nation. They’re projected to be a top team in the toughest league while also being a top-three team in the country, all while playing an SEC schedule for the first time.

Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables watches a drill during the University of Oklahoma (OU) spring football practice at the Everest Training Center in Norman, Okla., Wednesday, March 27, 2024.

Given their situation — having an experienced quarterback in Quinn Ewers, along with the Longhorns reloading talent — Texas should fare well in year one.

Oklahoma also has a strong ranking with the FPI. They come in ranked No. 8 in the nation and No. 4 in the SEC, ranking just ahead of Tennessee and Missouri. The Football Power Index thinks much more highly of the Sooners than, say, oddsmakers or pundits — all of which are placing a 7.5 over/under win total on Oklahoma.

Betting odds disagree with Oklahoma’s ESPN FPI ranking

While Texas’ FPI ranking is on par with betting odds — leaving them near the top of the SEC — the same isn’t true for the guys in crimson and cream. The FPI has the Sooners No. 4 in the SEC and a top-ten program in the nation.

When it comes to oddsmakers and betting odds, the Sooners are given a 7.5 over/under win total, as mentioned. This would leave them mid-table in the SEC, seeing them finish anywhere ranked No. 7 to No. 10 in the SEC, barely edging their way into the Top 25 rankings on the season.

Watching the two teams enter the conference together — along with their historical matchup continuing in Dallas, TX — will be something to keep an eye on and comparing how both programs compete in year one will fill discourse throughout the media.

READ MORE: Sooners Predicted Underwhelming Inaugural SEC Campaign

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Follow Kade Kimble on Twitter.