The Gospel According to Bevo

In the beginning, they were mocked, laughed at and jeered. Clowned for having more money than God, money from oil —a different kind of money, flowing deep and thick in unending waves of black gold. During away games their uniforms are pristine and white, the kind of pristine and white that makes you think that they think they’re better in every sense of the word. Then there are the facilities, good Lord, the facilities, palaces of conditioning, annually turning out men who looked like Tarzan, but played like Jane. The rich kids, the ones who when they weren’t in their pristine white uniforms wore burnt orange, the ones with all the commas in their bank accounts, their own network, the ones who claimed to be back (again!?!!??), but never made it back, the ones no one wanted to hang around. Yeah them. Then college football changed and overnight …

Texas became desirable.

We’re told not to hold grudges, to forgive and forget. With those truths in mind, Bevo, the beloved Texas mascot ascended to the mount in 2024, not to mock, laugh, or jeer, but to offer hope. He saw the multitudes, proud programs in an even prouder conference, now living in a vastly different resource dependent universe with their very SEC station in football life sitting in gridiron purgatory. Understanding the enormity of the moment, the top steer struck a most benevolent tone, speaking to the survival and continued dominance of the conference in what became known as …

The Bevo’atitudes.

Blessed are they with oily pockets

There’s tech money up north and out west in the Big Ten region. AI, private equity, entertainment, the latest this, the latest that … it’s there. They’ve got a pretty nice nest egg out east where the ACC plays ball, with portfolios driven by real estate, healthcare and pharmaceuticals stroking those big checks that turn heads and programs around. Good money and nothing to sneeze at … but none of it compares to oil money, and oil money is what you’ll find in Texas.

And lots of it.

When the great state entered the SEC in 2024, the college football was a different place. NIL was in its’ infancy and the revenue sharing component that’s now a central tenet of athletic fiscal models was being discussed: now it’s a reality. The money genie has been let out of her bottle and putting her back in isn’t an option. Players are commanding salaries on par or higher than the men leading them. No problem, because Texas has oil money.

And lots of it.

Blessed are they that understand life is about timing

For years Texas flirted with the idea of moving to the SEC. The Big XII experiment, ambitious when it was hatched, began to show cracks in the foundation as Missouri and Texas A&M both moved south. The Longhorns were patient, setting aside ego and vanity, choosing instead to stay the course and play the long game. Had Texas moved to the SEC in the early 2000’s, the move would’ve been about nothing more than prestige, power, big games, and football schedules.

By waiting until 2024, Texas became an even more attractive property. Instead of Heisman memories and big plays, (they brought those too!), the Longhorns brought corporate relationships, access to a diverse television market, and the most high-profile athletic department in the nation, just when the SEC needed these things most.

Perfect timing.

Blessed are they with an ecosystem

The state of Texas has the best coaches. From top to bottom, both sides of the ball, special teams, and in between, no state comes close to the level of coaching talent the state boasts. The quality of coaches is surpassed only by the prowess of high school players Texas produces. Other states like California, Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania among others will argue that their talent production is at or better than Texas’s. But they’d lose that argument every single day of the week.

And twice on Sunday.

The Texas ecosystem is bigger than players and coaches. It encompasses high schools, alumni, donors, corporations, media and others, all strategically placed, all working together to drive the state’s passion for football. So, if one were to step back and look at where college football stands today, you’ll see that not only is Texas ready to compete and excel in this new environment.

They were built for it.

 Blessed are they that look to the north

The Big Ten is no longer coming, they’ve arrived, bringing with them the potential dethroning of the SEC as the premier conference in college football. Wit the addition of USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington, the Big Ten plays home to five of the largest media markets in the nation while the SEC boasts having only one. This market imbalance mirrors the power shift that we’re seeing — a shift where the last three national champions all call the Big Ten home. It’s no coincidence that their success parallels the changing financial landscape of college football. This newfound success says the fight for championships won’t just be about X’s and O’s … it’ll be about zeroes and commas.

And Texas has plenty of both.

For as far back as any of us can remember, SEC coaches would strut into living rooms across the nation and confidently claim their brand of football was the best, and make no mistake about it, it was. But this next stage of the battle will be about more than first downs, touchdowns, extra points, and final scores. No, it’ll be about balance sheets, ROI, and strategy. It’ll be a fight … and as the school song says…

Texas fight … Texas fight.

Blessed are they who are poor in recent wins … but rich in NIL dollars

It feels like yesterday when Vince Young strode across the end zone with seconds remaining on the clock, dethroning USC and bringing Texas their first national championship in 35 years. In reality, it was more than two decades ago and since that time, Texas football, with all their claims of being back (again), stopping, starting, and rebooting, hasn’t really done anything. Sure, the team has posted some strong seasons, but any program can do that … but every program isn’t Texas.

Especially when it comes to NIL.

There are all kinds of lamenting and bellyaching going on about how money is ruining college football. The talk is that they’re no longer college athletes because they’re being paid like pros, the purity and love of the game is gone, and things will never be the same. But all that stops when the NIL money lands at your door. Knock, knock. Who’s there?

Texas.

Blessed are they that are their brother’s keeper

The most fertile recruiting grounds in the nation are found in Texas. In small towns where stop signs govern and big cities where traffic lights abound, the Friday Night Lights shine all the same, a fact that SEC coaches have known for years. From LSU to Florida and all stops in between; SEC powerhouses knew the key to their success was poaching a player or eight away from the Lone Star State and into their fieldhouse. With the addition of Texas to the conference, those same coaches no longer have to enter covertly, making promises of championships and the kinds of glory only the SEC could fulfill because now…

 They’re family.

When the Longhorns joined the SEC, they brought it all including those fertile recruiting grounds. They ceased being … “theirs” and became “ours”; something the SEC truly needed. And while recruiting wars for prized recruits are still being fought across state lines and sometimes within them, when it comes to Texas, it’s no longer us against them.

It’s just us.

Blessed are they who inherit the earth

In college football, at least this new version, inheriting the earth is nice. But it's different if you can just go out and buy it. Texas can.

Can I get an amen?

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