Nick Saban Levies Harsh Accusation About Oklahoma's Standing in the SEC

When the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns moved to the SEC this season, many had their doubts that both teams were equipped to handle the step up in competition right away.

Seven games into the season, it looks like No. 1-ranked Longhorns are handling the transition just fine, going 6-0 with wins over two ranked opponents (including Oklahoma), while the Sooners have stumbled a bit out of the gate with two conference losses in the last three weeks.

Texas ran roughshod over Oklahoma last week with a convincing 34-3 victory in the Red River Rivalry. UT’s dominance didn’t just prove it’s superiority to OU right now, it also showed the stark difference in where the two schools stand in terms of being legit SEC contenders.

During Saturday’s “College GameDay,” former Alabama head coach Nick Saban explained why one school is fitting right in in its new conference while the other is having some growing pains.

“[Head coach Steve Sarkisian] built this Texas team as an SEC team, that’s why they are [as good as they are],” Saban said. “Oklahoma’s not built that way; Texas is, and that’s why they can compete [with the top SEC teams].”

With five of its last six games coming against SEC opponents — South Carolina, No. 18 Ole Miss, No. 19 Missouri, No. 7 Alabama and No. 8 LSU — Oklahoma has a lot of questions it needs to answer as it runs the gauntlet and attempts to prove it’s still one of the premier programs in the country.

Conversely, Texas is the current front-runner for the national championship and expected to cruise into the College Football Playoff with a much easier remaining schedule. The Longhorns toughest remaining game is Saturday against No. 5 Georgia at home.