Florida Gators: Mullen Excited About OU, Texas Joining SEC
There will be some new competition in the Southeastern Conference, and Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen is embracing it.
Last week, it was made official and Oklahoma and Texas will be leaving the Big 12, taking their talents to the SEC. While it's not quite known yet when that will actually transpire, many have already suggested the two programs will be competing with the top college football conference in just a season.
Officially, both programs are set to depart from the Big 12 just before the 2025 season.
When they do, though, Mullen feels like OU and Texas will fit right in. Successful programs joining a successful conference, the pairing is obvious. The power of the conference both academically and athletically paired with two programs that have demonstrated plenty of both in the past ... it's a no-brainer.
"The number of championships over the last 20 years now, really I guess going back to really 2006. The streak of championships in this league is pretty special," Mullen explained speaking in front of local media for the first time this year on Thursday.
"And then you're looking at two academic schools, two schools with very strong football traditions. Two excellent football programs. Very passionate fanbases that really fit what this league is all about.
"And so makes sense. I think I've said this, college football in the next couple years will look differently than maybe what it's looked like in the past. That's just going to be another step of it, and exciting to have those two great schools and great football programs coming into our league."
Perhaps this is the first step to the oft-rumored "mega-conference" that many around the college football world have teased for over a decade now. The combination of some of the best programs in the nation forming one big conference that will be divided up similarly to the National Football League.
While that appears far-fetched on its surface, the addition of OU and Texas to the SEC, arguably the most dominant conference in college football, won't do much to put any flames out. If anything it's pouring more gas on the grill.
For the Gators, there could be some recruiting implications involved. Florida has recruited out of Texas plenty over the past few seasons, and have already landed a recruit for next year's class in quarterback Nicco Evers (Flower Mound) who hails from the state.
Adding Texas to the SEC will undoubtedly add to the already-great competition in the recruiting scene for Florida. But, Mullen says, it will only strengthen the league as a whole.
"You’re looking right now I don’t know if there’s really a league in college football that could compete top to bottom with the SEC from top to bottom before those teams coming now, and now it’s going to be even a stronger footprint of teams," said Mullen.
"You look at OU’s run of going to College Football Playoffs over the last several years. I know the term is, there aren’t megaconferences yet, but if you look we’re as close to being to that now, and then you add those two teams and certain it is the strongest conference in college football.”
