ESPN’s Laura Rutledge Has High Hopes for Texas in the SEC

SEC Network's host thinks the Longhorns will adjust to the new conference just fine

Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Jake Majors (65) celebrates a first down with quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) during the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff semifinals game against the Washington Huskies at the Caesars Superdome on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners are officially members of the Southeastern Conference as of July 1.

This huge move to what is considered by most to be the best conference in the country means these two teams will have a lot to prove, but ESPN’s SEC Nation host Laura Rutledge thinks the floor is high for the Longhorns.

“I would say the ceiling is they could win the SEC Championship,” Rutledge said on SEC Network. “The floor for me? I expect them to at least be a nine-win team overall.”

Football is undoubtedly the biggest sport in the south and an SEC Championship win in its maiden season in the conference would speak more than 1000 words, but Texas isn’t limited to the sport.

“Texas is walking into a gauntlet that they’re very ready for,” Rutledge said. “I think the rest of the SEC has this excitement to welcome them in, but they’re also like ‘oh man, we’re circling that Texas game.’ Not just football, right? Every single sport, the excellence that Texas athletics has shown for so long, you just look back at the history.”

From swimming and diving to volleyball and softball, Texas has shown it is a force to be reckoned with.

“You just see this is a place that knows how to win,” Rutledge said. “I think that’s why when you really ask SEC fans, they can’t wait to have Texas in this league.”

If Texas shows up to its full potential, Rutledge can see the Longhorns going all the way to the end of the postseason.

“For me, I would say the ceiling is to win the entire SEC and from there, you know you’re in the College Football Playoff,” Rutledge said.