It has now been five years since Steve Spurrier last coached college football, but the Hall of Famer has not lost his knack for talking trash. He reminded us of that when he shared his thoughts on Texas and Oklahoma potentially joining the SEC.
Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel asked Spurrier about Texas and Oklahoma applying for SEC membership, and the 76-year-old seized the opportunity to take a shot at the Longhorns.
“I can understand Texas jumping over,” Spurrier said. “They get to play Texas A&M again. They get to … they can’t win the Big 12 anyway. I think they’ve only won two in the last 30 years or so. What is it?”
Spurrier was close. Texas has won the Big 12 just three times since 1996. They have not captured a Big 12 title since 2009, when Mack Brown was the coach. The Longhorns have won more than eight games in a season just once since Brown left in 2013, though they have won four straight bowl games. Texas hired Steve Sarkisian this offseason as its third coach in the last seven years.
Spurrier coached in the SEC at Florida and South Carolina. He won a championship with the Gators in 1996. He knows how tough the conference is, and he’s right that Texas could struggle mightily at first. He also doesn’t understand why Oklahoma would want to join the SEC aside from money.
“I just don’t think they’re going to come over to the SEC and win with any regularity the way that they win the Big 12,” Spurrier said of the Sooners. “Their fans might say, ‘Yeah, now we can beat Alabama and LSU and all these dudes.’ It may not happen like that.”
If you remember the comment he made during college football season last year, you know that Spurrier always keeps his finger on the pulse of the sport. He’s not the only one who is skeptical of Texas and Oklahoma trying to take on the SEC.
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