Texas Longhorns Shine in First SEC Season, But Social Media Questions Big-Spending Roster
The Texas Longhorns had an incredible debut season in the SEC, finishing as runners-up in the conference and securing a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Along the way, they racked up impressive postseason victories over Clemson and Arizona State, further solidifying their standing as one of the nation’s elite programs.
However, their 13-3 campaign wasn’t without challenges. All three of their losses came at the hands of College Football Playoff opponents, including two defeats to the powerhouse Georgia Bulldogs—one in the regular season and one in the SEC Championship—and a semifinal loss to eventual national champions Ohio State.
Despite their strong showing, the Longhorns found themselves the subject of online debate this week. Odds Shark, via a post on X, revealed the “most expensive rosters” in college football for 2024. According to the list:
- Oregon: $23 million
- Texas: $22.2 million
- Ohio State: $20.2 million
- LSU: $20.1 million
- Georgia: $18.3 million
The post, captioned “Safe to say spending all that money doesn’t work for everyone,” implied criticism toward high-spending programs like Texas and Oregon, especially as neither won the national title.
Still, it’s worth noting that four of the five programs on the list earned spots in the expanded 12-team CFP field. Oregon, the No. 1 seed, fell to eventual champions Ohio State in the quarterfinals. The Buckeyes, seeded eighth, went on to defeat Texas in the semifinals before taking down Notre Dame in the championship.
Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish, who entered as the No. 7 seed, eliminated No. 2 seed Georgia en route to their runner-up finish.
While Texas didn’t claim the national crown, their 2024 season was undeniably successful, showcasing their ability to thrive in one of the most competitive conferences in college football. As the Longhorns look to build on this momentum, questions about roster spending will likely remain a hot topic in the world of college football.
