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Legendary former Alabama head coach Nick Saban doesn’t foresee Texas at the top of the SEC in 2024 following the team’s move from the Big 12.
“What kind of tickles me is all these people asking these questions about how Texas always ran the conference they were in,” Saban said on SEC Now on Monday (h/t On3.com). “They’re not gonna run the SEC.”
The Longhorns defeated Oklahoma State in the 2023 Big 12 title game before falling to Washington in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.
Texas played against one SEC opponent in 2023, defeating Saban and the Crimson Tide on Sep. 9. Alabama held a 16-13 edge through three quarters before the Longhorns pulled away by scoring 21 points in the fourth and emerging with a 34-24 win.
Ahead of the 2024 season, Texas and Oklahoma both moved to the SEC from the Big 12. Saban won’t be patrolling the sidelines during the next matchup between the Longhorns and the Crimson Tide, as he retired on Jan. 10 with seven national championships under his belt.
Still, the SEC should present a challenge for Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian after five teams in the conference recorded at least 10 wins last season.
While Saban doesn’t believe that the Longhorns will end the season at the top of the SEC standings, Sarkisian’s team should still be successful after coming off a 12-2 campaign. Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers is also returning after racking up 3,479 pass yards and 22 touchdowns compared to just six interceptions as a sophomore.
Texas already has a strong quarterback plan in place when Ewers eventually leaves with Arch Manning, the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class, still on the roster (per 247Sports). The team will also be adding the sixth-best 2024 recruiting class in the nation, via 247Sports’ Composite rankings.
Sarkisian, Ewers and the rest of the Longhorns will attempt to prove Saban wrong during this upcoming season.
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