How each athletic program fared in SEC debut year

Texas finalized its involvement in the 2024-25 athletic year when the NCAA track and field championships concluded over the weekend, putting a stamp on the Longhorns’ debut season in the SEC. 

Naturally, Texas’ introduction to the conference where “It Just Means More” brought plenty of changes. But the Longhorns sustained their success, securing the Director’s Cup — awarded to the country’s best-performing athletic department across all sports — for the fourth time in five years.  And UT undertook its year of change alongside a familiar companion. Oklahoma, Texas’ Red River Rival, also made the move from the Big 12 to the SEC.

So, how did Texas’ performance in the SEC compare to Oklahoma’s in Year One? 

Here’s a sport-by-sport look. 

Football 

Texas’ dominant Red River Rivalry win forecasted the outcome of the debut SEC season for both programs. The Longhorns, who hammered the Sooners 34-3 at the Cotton Bowl, finished 13-3, cracking the SEC title game and advancing to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. Oklahoma finished 6-7 for the second time in three years under coach Brent Venables, concluding the season with a loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl. 

SEC finish: Texas: 2nd, OU: 14th 

Baseball 

The Longhorns blitzed college baseball’s best league in their debut season, winning the SEC by two games and clinching the title with a series victory over the Sooners in Norman. Oklahoma finished 12th in conference play, but advanced just as far in the postseason as the Longhorns did; both clubs were ousted in their respective regional finals. 

Regular-season SEC finish: Texas: 1st, OU: 12th 

Softball 

Oklahoma won three of the four meetings between the Longhorns and Sooners in 2025, but Texas scored the most important victory. The Horns topped OU, 4-2, at the Women’s College World Series en route to their first national championship in program history. The title snapped a streak of four consecutive national titles won by the Sooners. Oklahoma did claim the SEC regular-season crown, though, and was awarded a share of the tournament title after the title game was canceled due to weather. 

Regular-season SEC finish: OU: 1st, Texas: 3rd 

Women’s basketball 

Vic Schaefer’s Longhorns cracked the Final Four for the first time since 2003, beating the Sooners on their way to claiming a share of the SEC regular-season title alongside South Carolina. Oklahoma acquitted itself well in its introduction to the SEC, too. The Sooners won 27 games and advanced to the Sweet 16. 

Regular-season SEC finish: Texas: T-1st, OU: 4th 

Men’s basketball 

The Sooners and Longhorns each sputtered along in the SEC, finishing with 6-12 conference records and splitting the season series, with the road team claiming both games. But the strength of the SEC meant both teams carved out resumes good enough for the NCAA Tournament. Texas fell to Xavier in the First Four while the Sooners lost their Round of 64 game to UConn. 

Regular-season SEC finish: OU: 13th, Texas: 14th

Women’s volleyball 

Oklahoma beat Texas for just the fifth time ever and the first time since 2014 on Nov. 3, although the Longhorns rebounded later that month to split the season series. The Longhorns’ bid for a national championship three-peat ended in the Sweet 16, and the Sooners were bounced in the Round of 32. 

Regular-season SEC finish: Texas: 2nd, OU: 6th

Beach volleyball 

Texas cracked the NCAA Tournament in beach volleyball for the first time, topping Cal in the opening round before falling to TCU in the quarters. The SEC does not sponsor beach volleyball, but Texas won the CCSA tournament on its way to a 28-10 campaign. Oklahoma does not field a beach volleyball team. 

Women’s golf 

The Longhorn women got the best of the Sooners on the golf course, advancing to the quarterfinals of the SEC and NCAA championships by finishing third and seventh in stroke play at those respective events. Oklahoma, by contrast, failed to make it out of the stroke play pool at either competition, registering a 14th-place finish at the SEC championships and tying for 21st at NCAAs. 

Men’s golf 

Texas advanced to the match play bracket at the SEC and NCAA tournaments, falling in the quarterfinals in both events to Auburn and Florida. The Sooners achieved the exact same fate in both events, falling to Florida at the SEC tournament and Oklahoma State in NCAAs. Oklahoma did best Texas in the stroke play portion of both events, though. 

Men’s swimming and diving 

The Longhorns dominated in the pool in 2024-25, claiming the SEC title and the 16th national title in program history, which is the most in the country. Oklahoma does not sponsor men’s swimming and diving. 

SEC finish: Texas: 1st 

Women’s swimming and diving 

The Longhorns also claimed the SEC title in women’s swimming and diving, while coming in third at the NCAA championships. Oklahoma does not field a women’s swimming and diving program. 

SEC finish: Texas: 1st

Women’s tennis 

The Longhorns topped the Sooners in a tight, 4-3 affair on Feb. 28, but Oklahoma finished with a better SEC mark and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament while Texas bowed out in the quarters. Texas performed better at the NCAA Tournament, though, advancing to the Sweet 16 while Oklahoma fell in the Round of 32. 

Regular-season SEC finish: OU: 4th, Texas: 8th

Men’s tennis 

Texas claimed the regular-season and tournament conference titles in men’s tennis, topping Oklahoma on the way to a 29-5 record. The Longhorns danced all the way to the Final Four, where they fell to TCU. The Horned Frogs also eliminated the Sooners from the NCAA Tournament in the second round. Oklahoma concluded the campaign with a 17-11 record that included a trip to the SEC quarterfinals. 

Regular-season SEC finish: Texas: 1st, OU: 9th

Women’s track and field 

The Sooners outperformed the Longhorns in both indoor and outdoor competition at the SEC championships. Oklahoma placed second in the indoor event in March while Texas came in 12th. At the outdoor event in May, the Sooners picked up a sixth-place finish while Texas tied for ninth. At NCAAs, Oklahoma finished fourth in the indoor championships while the Longhorns tied for 35th. Texas recovered at outdoor NCAAs, though, picking up a 10th-place finish to best the Sooners, who came in 14th. 

SEC finish: OU: 2nd (indoor), 6th (outdoor), Texas: 12th (indoor), 9th (outdoor) 

Men’s track and field

The Texas men finished 14th at the SEC indoor championships in March and recorded a seventh-place finish at the outdoor championships in May. In NCAA competition, the Longhorns tied for 26th place at the indoor event and finished 34th at the outdoor championships last weekend. Oklahoma had a better season overall; the Sooners finished third at the SEC indoors and 10th at the outdoor championships. They added a 12th-place finish at NCAA indoors and finished sixth in the outdoor competition. 

SEC finish: OU: 10th (outdoor), 3rd (indoor), Texas 7th (outdoor), 12th (indoor) 

Men’s cross country 

The Longhorns bested the Sooners on the cross-country course in 2024, claiming a fourth-place finish at the SEC championships while Oklahoma finished ninth. Texas finished third at its NCAA regional, missing out on the NCAA championships by one spot, OU placed 11th in regional competition. 

SEC finish: Texas: 4th, OU 9th

Women’s cross country 

Texas claimed a fifth-place finish at the SEC cross country championships to top Oklahoma’s 12th-place mark. The Sooners did not qualify for the NCAA championships, where Texas finished 31st. 

SEC finish: Texas: 5th, OU: 12th

Women’s gymnastics 

The Sooners claimed national title glory in women’s gymnastics, posting a 198.0125 score to beat UCLA, Mizzou and Utah in the NCAA finals. They arrived there off the back of a 33-2 overall record, sharing the regular-season conference title with LSU and finishing second at the SEC championships. Texas does not field a women’s gymnastics team. 

Regular-season SEC finish: OU: T-1st 

Men’s gymnastics 

The SEC does not sponsor a championship in men’s gymnastics, where Oklahoma posted a 24-4 overall record that the Sooners parlayed into a bronze medal at the NCAA championships. Texas does not have a men’s gymnastics team.

Rowing 

The introduction of Texas and Oklahoma prompted the SEC to sponsor a rowing championship for the first time. The Longhorns claimed the inaugural title, while the Sooners finished fourth out of four teams. The Longhorns finished third at the NCAA championships, and Oklahoma did not qualify. 

SEC finish: Texas: 1st, OU: 4th 

Soccer 

Texas’ soccer team became the first program on campus to win an SEC championship, beating South Carolina to claim the SEC tournament title. The Longhorns claimed a 1-0 victory over Oklahoma, which missed the NCAA Tournament while the Longhorns were ousted in the second round by Michigan State. 

Regular-season SEC finish: Texas: 3rd, OU: 14th 

Wrestling 

Oklahoma competed in the Big 12 in wrestling in 2024-25 because the SEC does not sponsor a wrestling championship. The Sooners picked up an 8-4 overall record and a 4-4 conference mark. They finished seventh at the Big 12 Championships and 38th at NCAAs. Texas does not have a wrestling team. 

Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at david.eckert@hearst.com.