Having bid farewell to Alabama’s Saban, powerful SEC welcomes Oklahoma and Texas to the mix

Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables speaks during Southeastern Conference NCAA college football media days Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer

(AP) — Goodbye, Nick Saban. Hello, Oklahoma and Texas.

For the first time in 17 years, Alabama’s iconic coach won’t be prowling the sidelines in the Southeastern Conference. With one longtime juggernaut headed to an ESPN gig and semi-retirement, two others enter the fray.

The Sooners and Longhorns join the powerhouse league three years after announcing their departure from the Big 12 and they will not have to face Saban, who won six of his major college record seven national championships with the Crimson Tide.

“I think it’s a partnership of elite with elite,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “And, again, two programs that in the history of college football take a back seat to nobody. The SEC doesn’t take a back seat to anybody.”

A league that had captured four straight national titles — including two straight from Georgia — before Michigan won it all last season is now beefed up to 16 teams.

For all that, some things haven’t changed: Kirby Smart and top-ranked Georgia are loaded with talent and regarded as the team to beat. Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns bring another current force into the mix with quarterback Quinn Ewers back after leading them to the College Football Playoff.

Kalen DeBoer takes over in Tuscaloosa after leading Washington to the national championship game. Saban is gone, but the talent at ‘Bama isn’t.

Mississippi and Missouri are also coming off 11-win seasons where both finished in the top 10. They return veteran quarterbacks — Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart and Missouri’s Brady Cook — and enviable playmakers at wide receiver.

Top players to watch
Carson Beck, QB, Georgia: Widely regarded as the Heisman Trophy front-runner going into the season, Beck led the SEC and ranked third nationally with 3,941 passing yards while completing 72.4% of his passes. Some of his top targets are gone, but the Bulldogs are loaded.

Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri: One of college football’s top receivers. Burden was a second-team Associated Press All-American after ranking in the top 10 nationally with 1,212 receiving yards, along with nine touchdowns and 86 catches.

Will Campbell, OL, LSU: The Tigers’ tackle has started 26 games in his first two seasons and allowed only three sacks in 1,687 snaps — all in his freshman year. The 6-foot-6, 320-pounder anchors a line that was among three finalists for the Joe Moore Award.

Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas: Ewers gives the league another experienced, talented passer and a potential Heisman candidate. He has 22 starts under his belt with 5,656 passing yards and 37 passing touchdowns.

Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama: A big-play threat running and passing, Milroe overcame a rocky start to emerge as one of the SEC’s top QBs. He even wound up sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

James Pearce Jr., LB, Tennessee: Emerged as a pass rushing force last season despite starting only three games. The 6-foot-5, 243-pounder tied for the SEC lead with 10 sacks and his 14-1/2 tackles for loss ranked second.

Harold Perkins Jr., LB, LSU: The 2022 first-team All-SEC pick has 26 tackles for loss and 13 sacks in 27 career games.

Malaki Starks, DB, Georgia: A star on the Bulldogs’ loaded defense, Starks was a first-team AP All-American last season. He was also a finalist for two national awards.

Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma: The two-year starter returns for his senior season with 267 career tackles, 28 of them going for a loss.

New faces
There’s no more compelling new face in college football than DeBoer, who has a gaudy 104-12 record in nine seasons as a head coach at various levels.

Mike Elko takes over at Texas A&M after a stint at Duke. Former Oklahoma and Mississippi offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby is the new head man at Mississippi State.

New coordinators abound across the league, but none more intriguing than Bobby Petrino. He takes over Sam Pittman’s offense at Arkansas, where he once reigned as head coach before getting fired in 2012 amid an off-field scandal.

On the hot seat
Pittman’s precarious job situation makes Petrino’s presence potentially both more vital. The Razorbacks managed only one league win and went 4-8 last season.

Florida coach Billy Napier also may need to make significant strides after going 11-14 in his first two seasons. He faces a closing stretch against Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss, and Florida State but did sign five-star quarterback DJ Lagway.

Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea is taking over as his own defensive coordinator after going 0-8 in SEC games last season.

Games to watch
Aug. 31, Georgia vs. Clemson (Atlanta)
Sep. 7, Texas at Michigan
Sep. 21, Tennessee at Oklahoma
Sep. 28, Georgia at Alabama
Oct. 12, Texas vs. Oklahoma (Dallas)
Oct. 19, Georgia at Texas
Oct. 28, Missouri at Alabama
Nov. 9, Georgia at Ole Miss
Nov. 23, Alabama at Oklahoma
Nov. 30, Texas at Texas A&M; Auburn at Alabama; Florida at Florida State.