Texas has adjusted well in its first season in the SEC, but there are reportedly some around the league who think the Longhorns received an unfair assist from the conference.
On Saturday, Texas bounced back from a loss to Georgia by beating No. 25 Vanderbilt on the road to move to 7-1 on the season. Incredibly, it was the Longhorns’ first true road SEC game so far this year. Their previous three conference clashes included home matchups with Georgia and Mississippi State and their annual rivalry game against Oklahoma at a neutral site.
The Longhorns’ only challenging non-conference game was on the road at Michigan, but the Wolverines were clearly overhyped coming into the season. All of this has led to some private grumbling around the conference, says USA TODAY’s Matt Hayes.
In a column posted Friday, one day before Texas’ win at Vanderbilt, Hayes said “more than a handful” of SEC athletic directors are “furious” about Texas’ schedule and the “optics it presents.”
It’s not just ADs who are angry, Hayes added.
“If you think the league’s athletic directors aren’t happy about the gift road to the SEC championship game, the conference coaches are livid,” he wrote.
“I spoke to three coaches this week, and each not only confirmed the rift about the laughable schedule given to Texas in its inaugural season, but each also made sure to text Georgia coach Kirby Smart and thank him for making it perfectly clear that Texas may be a member of the conference — but Texas hasn’t come close to experiencing the conference.”
Hayes also claims “every team in the SEC” was rooting for Vanderbilt to win on Saturday, and will be pulling for Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky and Texas A&M when they face the Longhorns in November.
To be fair to Texas, their schedule is not the only thing people are accusing the SEC of being unfair about. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin complained Monday about his team’s lack of primetime league games, while calling out LSU for being given multiple home SEC matchups at night.
The Longhorns are an easy target though, given their freshness to the conference and outsider status. There’s only one way to silence any possible backlash: keep winning.
Related: Lane Kiffin Accuses The SEC Schedule Makers Of Being Biased