As 2024 went down the page, the random picks and predictions have been on full display ahead of a compelling off-season. As far as the conferences are concerned, both the SEC and Big 10 hold the key to others. ACC has some legs up through their newly minted high-flying media rights deal with ESPN; they are still striving to climb the radar. On the other side, the SEC flaunts the richest monetary value and better exposure to the market than most of the conferences. But who is holding the high there? Is it Georgia? Is it Texas A&M, or is it Florida? Well, Georgia has everything to be on the top of a projected supreme SEC pick of the year, but a school with a $331.9 million revenue (in the year 2024) says hold my beer!

Texas Longhorns and Steve Sarkisian are ruling the chart, and here’s how.

Texas received the upper hand over Georgia in the projected set of success in 2025

The teams that Texas will be playing in the SEC won’t be a huge revamp from last year. Again, they will get the hardest, toughest non-conference schedules for any Power Four team starting from the week one matchup at Columbus against the Ohio State Buckeyes. No need to mention that the game could be Arch Manning’s official inauguration into the starting gig, and he might turn into a reckless tornado, giving it all to the debut. Also, the first matchup in SEC play will be against the Florida Gators, followed by the massive annual Red River Showdown against the Oklahoma Sooners. It is a heck of a schedule, for real. Longhorns and Sarkisian need to be on their toes right from the beginning. But before you empathize with their schedule fate, remember they have money, the most abundant amount of money, rather.

Would you question whether money can quickly surpass all other factors and establish the foundation for a successful journey? Well, you shouldn’t, living in this NIL-dominated era of CFB. The current activities around the mix legit define the Money Talks proverb. Predicting bright days ahead for Texas over Georgia, College Football Addiction host STJ said,  ”Well, Georgia is great; they have got the best recruiting base you can possibly hope for, and they have got the whole state to themselves other than Georgia Tech, which you know really can’t compete with them in recruiting, and they got a great coach, but Texas has unlimited money, and those guys love football; they are right there, very top, right there with Oregon, and they can blow that out of the water.”

With $331.9 million in operating revenues and $325 million in operating expenses during its 2024 fiscal year, the University of Texas athletics department once again demonstrated its dominance in the national college sports business. So, the hype made enough sense.

With the whopping big-digit money, they set a record for the first-ever NCAA school to draw more than 300 million in a year since its inception. When you have money, you have the talents. As simple as it sounds and as complex as you dig out. As much as they draw, they spend, too. They stood as the highest in the total NIL expenditure list for the year 2024.

Texas holds a significant advantage over the portal recruits as they prepare for an ambitious year. Well, Kirby Smart isn’t standing far in the portal aggression. The Bulldogs flex money, too, but what Texas has is unlimited; Georgia can only dream of it.

Kirby Smart seems to be envious of the big-money rivals

Kirby Smart said nothing about Texas having the most money in the SEC, but he is too busy focusing on a second trophy in the lane. Well, it’s Oregon. The Georgia head coach is clearly drooling over the Ducks’ heavy NIL money.“Wish I could get some of that NIL money he’s (Nike co-founder Phil Knight) sharing with (Oregon Ducks head coach) Dan Lanning,” said Smart at the 2024 SEC media days event. You can call it jealousy; you can call it motivation, but the urge is there.

If we keep Texas out of the equation, it’s Dan Lanning who is pulling some serious financial highs. Nike and Phil Knight have been a major resource for their athletic department expenses. They are trying to make the best use of that money, swooping some of the best picks, including DJ Pickett, from the portal.

Smart has high hopes that all talents don’t just chase the NIL money; they watch out for the environment, the academics, the behaviors, the culture, and everything in between.

You can take it as a prime instance of the grapes being a sour mindset, but Smart is raising his case slowly but surely. Texas remains the trailblazer, nevertheless.