One analyst is drinking the Texas Longhorns‘ Kool-Aid.
On Monday, Texas officially moved from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference. Though the Longhorns will face far better competition this upcoming season, Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt believes they’ll excel immediately.
“[The Longhorns] rank second [in the SEC]. Easily second,” Klatt said on “The Next Round” podcast. “I don’t know if there’s a close third actually. The top two teams [Georgia and Texas] are actually far superior than anybody else.”
Klatt’s claim is a bit surprising, considering the SEC is stacked with powerhouse programs such as Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU. ESPN’s Mark Schlabach placed the Rebels (No. 6), Crimson Tide (No. 7) and Tigers (No. 14) in his post-spring top 25 rankings.
Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban — who won six national titles in 17 seasons in Tuscaloosa — retired in January, but Alabama probably won’t backtrack under his replacement, Kalen DeBoer. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives it a 57.2 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff for a third straight season.
However, Texas — coming off of a College Football Playoff trip — has several starters returning, including quarterback Quinn Ewers, offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. and linebacker Anthony Hill Jr.
The Longhorns also restocked their roster through both the transfer portal and traditional recruiting. On3 ranks their transfer portal and recruiting class No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.
Only time will tell whether the Longhorns snap their 19-year national title drought. Regardless, it’s clear they shouldn’t be a pushover in their first season in the SEC. As of Tuesday, DraftKings Sportsbook gives Texas the conference’s second-best title odds (+320) behind Georgia (+200).