Georgia state Rep. Mike Collins demands Speaker of the House send Texas back to Big 12

Turns out not everyone believes the Texas Longhorns have a home in the Southeastern Conference.

Georgia Rep. Mike Collins, from the state’s 10th congressional district that represents Athens and its surrounding suburbs, took to the U.S. House of Representatives floor Tuesday in Washington D.C. to congratulate his homestate Georgia Bulldogs (11-2) for winning the program’s 15th SEC Championship following Saturday’s 22-19 overtime victory over the Longhorns in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Of course, that congratulations didn’t come without a clear shot across the bow at Texas, with Collins opening his remarks by demanding the Longhorns “be sent back to the Big 12” following their inaugural season in the SEC.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to demand that Texas be sent back to the Big 12. pic.twitter.com/J1p6oqFr9K

— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) December 10, 2024

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to demand that Texas be sent back to the Big 12, and to congratulate the 2024 SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs,” Collins said Tuesday. “After the Dawgs’ historic win over the Longhorns in the SEC championship over the weekend, which by the way was the second time Georgia has beat Texas this season, the Dawgs have proved without a doubt that Texas just ain’t ready for SEC ball. What an incredible win, Mr. Speaker, not only did the Dawgs absolutely smoke Texas in overtime, but they did it with class, style and a backup quarterback. This is the 15^th SEC championship in Georgia history, and the Dogs aren’t done yet. As we move into the Playoffs, don’t let off the gas. You’ve got a national championship to bring back to Athens and don’t let anybody stop you. Mr. Speaker, go Dawgs! And I yield back.”

Texas (11-2) is coming off a stellar first season in the SEC, earning a bid to the conference championship game after only losing once in the regular season – a 30-15 home defeat to Georgia on Oct. 19. The Longhorns then took the Bulldogs to overtime in Saturday’s SEC Championship Game, before a four-yard touchdown run by Trevor Etienne ended the first overtime period and sealed a second-straight loss to UGA.

Kirby Smart highlights value of SEC title in CFP era

Debate over the future of conference championships have surrounded college football as the first 12-team College Football Playoff draws near. Some coaches have gone as far as saying that teams won’t want to play in them moving forward.

After winning the SEC Championship on Saturday, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart explained his perspective on the matter. He particularly noted the success he’s had in the postseason without winning the SEC Championship.

“You play football to play the game. Like, you play football to win your conference,” Smart said postgame. “You’re asking the wrong person about that because I had almost the same number of national championships as I do SEC Championships.

“I’ve had years I won the SEC that I didn’t win the natty, and then years I won the natty that I didn’t win the SEC. They’re really hard to come by. I don’t know. I think it’s going to be interesting, the direction of college football, because I hate to say it, but I didn’t think early in pregame that the game had the same juice, didn’t think it had the same atmosphere that I’ve seen it have before.”

Barkley Truax contributed to this report.