The SEC: it just means more.
Not in the Armed Forces Bowl, apparently.
As the conference begrudgingly welcomed Oklahoma and Texas in 2024, the Longhorns were its only saving grace in the first round of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. Tennessee was beaten, and beat pretty soundly, in a 42-17 drubbing at Ohio State.
Texas, on the other hand, took care of business against Clemson.
And as for the team, the conference tried to shoehorn into the CFP — Alabama —its loss to Oklahoma continues to age poorly. That November 23 loss, a major reason the Crimson Tide were left out in favor of SMU, stings more with each passing day. Alabama fell to the Sooners, 24-3, effectively eliminating them from CFP contention.
Brent Venables’ squad would go on to lose 37-17 to LSU a week later. And entering the Armed Forces Bowl with a .500 record, the Sooners faced a Navy team fresh off a dismantling of Army. It was a chance to end the season on a high note, and after jumping to an early 14-0 lead, they seemed poised to sink the Midshipmen.
But between multiple turnovers on downs, a fumble, a missed field goal, allowing a 95-yard touchdown and failing a would-be game-winning two-point conversion, the only thing sinking was Oklahoma’s chances at a winning record in 2024.
And after a 21-20 victory, Navy wasted no time in piling on.
“It just means more at Navy.”
When you beat an SEC team for the first time in 69 years (nice), you’ve earned the right to troll the conference and its slogan.
In 2024 playoff/bowl games, the SEC stands at 4-3. After Oklahoma’s loss in the Armed Forces Bowl, Vanderbilt and Arkansas both answered the bell with wins over Georgia Tech and Texas Tech, respectively. Meanwhile, Texas A&M joined Oklahoma in suffering crushing defeats in games they were favored to win.
For all intents and purposes, it didn’t mean more on Friday.
[Navy FB on X]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.