Dean Blevins: SEC Schedule Reveal Pays Proper Respect To Sooners, Longhorns

Once again, a significant element in the 2024 scheduling stays under the radar.

We remind folks who overlooked in the excitement the fact that Oklahoma is disadvantaged in its virgin voyage into Big Boy Football. Because this season the Sooners are designated as the home team in its October game with Texas. The net result being that OU gets only three home games in conference play.

No small deal, especially in Year 1 in the more physically demanding SEC.

Of course, the Longhorns get the much better end of the deal -- only three true road games. For what it's worth, we give the 'Horns bonus points for scheduling Michigan with a second week road game in Ann Arbor. 

How great is the SEC & SEC Network?

Devoting two hours of primetime TV for what turns out to be fascinating content: The SEC 2024 schedule reveal.

Yes, the Sooners are headed to a conference where its devoted fans eat, sleep and drink football. As the plucky Big 12 Commissioner is probably somewhere right now in angst, in search of a team or two or three that he must assign the insanely ridiculous seven weeks of the dreaded 11 a.m. kickoffs the Sooners endured in 2023.

Yes, OU will have early window starts in its new league. But not SEVEN in an eight-game SEC schedule. And to the delight of Oklahoma and Texas fans, teams, coaches, administrators, and sporty voting citizens both alive and 7-feet under, there will be NO MORE BIG 12 OFFICIATING. 

Now this is living! While the Sooners need time to adjust to all things SEC, Wednesday night's SEC 'Schedule Reveal TV Show' is delivering in spades.

Makes your heart race.

Or at least some of us. 

Sooners, Longhorns Getting Proper SEC Welcome

It's clear from the jump that the show producers and SEC Nation in general know their football. Showing due pride in welcoming in Oklahoma and Texas. And it didn't go unnoticed that their acknowledgement of adding this tandem of needle-movers was genuine. 

'Twas with the appropriate and well-earned respect of programs spearheaded by remarkable men, seasons and eras. In Norman, the dominant winning of Bennie, Bud, Barry & Bob. In Austin, the championship days of Hollis, Okla., native & former Sooner star Darrell Royal. And former OU Offensive Coordinator Mack Brown. 

No hint of jealousy from the 'Bunch Down South'. Why not? Because these cats have done their share of winning. In fact, their share, my share, your share and everywhere a share-share.

The stranglehold on dominance seems to have made every human, animal and 'other' look forward to the next day. A day no doubt filled with delightful water-cooler talk, Happy Hour espousement (new word), and a replay of that day's Paul Finebaum Show. An entertainment program where third grade teachers give bonus points to students who can prove they and the majority of their 19 brothers and sisters know who Legend is. As an aside, those same teachers abruptly deduct points if the majority of those 20 children confess to knowing the birth dates of said Finebaum's characters, including-but-not-limited to Jim, I-Man or Handsome Joe.

But I digress... 

Calling it a ‘big brand name’ is an insufficient description of a program with 50 conference titles, seven National Championships and seven Heisman winners, etc. deserves. What Texas can’t match in the field (conference and national titles, Heismans, etc.), it more than makes up for with its excellence in most of its programs and its deserved tradition and power of the brand name and what comes from getting OU Football. Same for Texas Football, which is more SEC-ready and has swag that comes with its re$ource$.