Steve Spurrier gives his thoughts on Oklahoma and Texas joining SEC
Steve Spurrier has long been one of the best sound bites in all of sports. He talks with a refreshing amount of honesty and candor to the media, which is a big reason why so many people have loved hearing him talk over the years. He might be retired from coaching college football, but rest assured his twangy opinions are alive and well.
He went on the Paul Finebaum Show on Thursday evening to talk about conference realignment. He did not disappoint.
Spurrier talked about how when he first heard the rumor of Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC, he thought somebody was just starting a rumor to mess with the conference.
He then went in depth on each team joining the SEC. Per the Steve Spurrier standard, he didn’t hold back.
Steve Spurrier’s thoughts on Texas joining the SEC
“The first thing I thought was well … Texas, they struggled to win the Big 12. I guess they’ve only won it twice in, I don’t know how many years. So, it made sense for them. If you’re going to struggle in the Big 12, might as well struggle in the SEC. Can’t do any worse.”
Spurrier had a much more positive outlook on the Oklahoma Sooners and their move to the SEC.
Steve Spurrier’s thoughts on Oklahoma heading to the SEC
“Now Oklahoma, I think they’ve won what is it five or six years in a row in the Big 12? Something like that. So I started wondering, well wait a minute. Why would they ever give up a championship every year to jump over into the SEC? After talking with some Oklahoma people, they’re looking forward to the challenge, Paul. They really do. It’s well known Oklahoma is a rich football tradition University.”
“Their fans, they want LSU and Alabama and Auburn. They want those guys to come to their ballpark and they are ready to go to their ballpark. I know they’ve (Oklahoma), they beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and they beat our Gators this year. I know we didn’t have a few guys playing but you can’t blame Oklahoma for that.”
“They get up when they play SEC teams and they’re looking forward to it. So, I think winning Big 12 championships at Oklahoma, maybe has gotten a little bit old. (Laughs). It’s hard to imagine. But they’re looking for a new challenge, and I think it’s really going to be interesting. I think they’re gonna compete. I think they’re gonna compete for championships in the SEC.”
Coaching and playing accolades
In 2017, Spurrier became only the fourth person to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player and a coach. He won the Heisman Trophy when he was a player at Florida. The Tennessee native also became the winningest football coach in South Carolina and Florida football history, not an easy feat to do in the SEC.
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