Josh Pate from Late Kick Live believes that Oklahoma and Texas will impact the SEC both on and off the field.
This week, starting on Monday, July 15th, media days will kick off for the Southeastern Conference. Representatives from all 16 new SEC programs will gather in Dallas, Texas, bringing with them plenty of season preview discussions.
Among the 16 teams, Oklahoma and Texas—who expanded the conference to this total—will be the focal points over the next few days. There will be much discussion about their move into the SEC.
But what if they find success? How could that impact the conference on and off the field? Josh Pate, the host of Late Kick Live and a national college football analyst for CBS Sports, believes their success could fundamentally alter the perception of one of the most prestigious conferences in college athletics.
“Is there a world where Oklahoma and Texas change the hierarchy of the SEC?” Pate said. “I really think there’s a world where if Texas and Oklahoma were to dominate in the SEC, and by that I mean a program consistently winning 10 games per year. If Texas A&M were also in that category… If just those three programs were sustained winners, think about what it would feel like in the SEC.”
“First off, you would absolutely see a power shift in the conference,” Pate added. “Now that doesn’t mean Georgia or Alabama would decline. It just means there would be a redistribution of power within the conference.”
“Not only would the traditional view of how these programs stack up need to change, but it might also shift who’s leading these discussions,” Pate observed. “I envision a scenario where the SEC’s attention spreads and becomes more centered around the south central region.”
“But there’s another aspect: the media dynamics within the SEC would be challenged,” Pate continued. “Currently, if Texas A&M were to accomplish something, it would primarily be discussed by people in Atlanta or Birmingham, with some input from the Houston media market.”
“But if you have Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma all performing well, you’re not only capturing media attention from Dallas, Austin, Houston, and Oklahoma City—media markets that traditionally haven’t focused much on the SEC—but also consider the atmosphere. Imagine how impactful that would be,” Pate noted.
Pate’s observation coincides with SEC Media Days being held in Dallas, Texas, a new location that could draw more attention to the conference in the region and enhance the regional identity in college sports, a concept that has somewhat faded.
“If you think about it, with A&M, Texas, and Oklahoma playing at a high level, along with strong performances from Alabama, Auburn, or Georgia, it could almost feel like two distinct conferences,” Pate suggested, “or even envision the concept of divisions within a conference.”