Three of Texas’ fall team sports – football, soccer and volleyball – made their first appearance in the Southeastern Conference.
The Longhorns, who have 5 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, are making an impact in their new home. The program at the start of conference play will look like this:
Soccer was the first sport to debut in the new league. In the season opener against the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Longhorns took a 2-0 lead by halftime, but allowed two goals in the second half, resulting in a 2-2 tie. Texas then traveled to Starkville for its first SEC road game against Mississippi State, but lost 1-0 to the Bulldogs after giving up an early goal.
The Longhorns remain in Mississippi State and now travel to Oxford to face Ole Miss, where they picked up their first conference win of the season. In non-conference play, the Horns were undefeated with one tie against Iowa.
The biggest moment of the season so far came at home in the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown, where Texas defeated in-state rival Texas A&M 2-0 in their first conference matchup in over a decade.
Texas has some formidable opponents ahead of them, including a home game against No. 1 Arkansas State on October 18th.
The two-year national champions had a rocky start to the season, but started conference play strong.
Volleyball was the first team to join the new loan state rivalry with Texas A&M, and the match was worthy of a showdown. Texas dominated the first set, but the unranked Aggies dominated the second set, and the final two sets were competitive.
The Longhorns did not return to Austin, instead heading to Baton Rouge to play LSU. Texas defeated the Tigers in a 3-0 sweep with a set win of 25-20, 25-20, 25-15.
The only other SEC team currently ranked is No. 18 Florida, but that doesn’t mean it will be the only challenge. The Texas volleyball team will play Madisen Skinner and Reagan Rutherford’s former team, Kentucky, on Oct. 13 in Lexington. On November 27th, they will play the Tennessee Volunteers, a team that all but ended last year’s championship hopes.
It’s no exaggeration to say that football is a sport that most fans have been looking forward to since the transition to a conference format was announced in 2021.
Texas State football made its SEC debut against Mississippi State on Saturday, and although it wasn’t an easy game, the Horns still held a comfortable lead and won 35-13, improving their undefeated record to 5-0. Stretched.
Entering the bye week, Steve Sarkisian and his No. 2-ranked team have a lot of work to do before a tripleheader against No. 19 Oklahoma on Oct. 12, No. 5 Georgia on Oct. 21, and Vanderbilt. There is. October 26th.
Other Longhorn programs have already claimed dominance over Lone Star rival Texas A&M, but football will have to wait until the final game on Thanksgiving weekend.