Brent Venables' take on talent gap between Oklahoma is both decadent and so alarming

For every team that has success changing leagues in conference realignment, another goes through a period of adjustment. Admittedly, it is very hard to forecast because every conference has its quirks and every new entrant has its own football culture. However, the one constant I have seen is teams wanting to play up tend to succeed far sooner than those who seem to be on the fence about moving.

TCU had an easy time adjusting to life in the Big 12 than West Virginia, just like Utah had an easier time going to the Pac-12 over Colorado. While I would argue that both Missouri and Texas A&M's moves to the SEC have been mostly successful, I cannot say the same for Maryland and Rutgers' moves to the Big Ten. Unfortunately, I am afraid that Oklahoma is going to be the SEC's Nebraska...

Because they were always going to be paired with Texas, the Sooners went from being a top-three job in the sport all time being in the same grouping of teams like Auburn, Florida and LSU in the SEC hierarchy. Oh, you can win championships here, but they won't come as easy as they do at places like Alabama, Georgia, and quite honestly, Texas. This has been a detriment to Oklahoma's recruitment.

When asked about the talent gap between both new SEC teams, OU's Brent Venables did not know.

For a guy getting millions upon millions of dollars as a state employee, it is Venables' job to know!

Brent Venables fails to admit the talent discrepancy after Red River

One of the most distinct advantages Oklahoma has had history was a recruiting advantage over most of its former Big Eight and Big 12 foes. There are too many great high school athletes in the State of Texas to all go to Austin. Oklahoma City is not that far away from The Lone Star State. OU typically gets players from the southwest who play with a boulder-sized chip on their shoulder. It serves them.

From a football culture standpoint, I always thought they would have an easier time of assimilating than Texas. OU is like Texas A&M in that it is a ravenous passion for the sport of college football. Texas has a reputation for being more of the wine and cheese crowd, but seems to have fully bucked that narrative. Missouri can seem out of place sometimes feeling very midwest and not very southeastern.

What I am getting at is the recruiting and academic advantages Oklahoma once had in the Big 12 are no more in the SEC. There are two SEC schools in Texas now. While Oklahoma City is a fine metropolis, you are now in the same league with cities like Atlanta, Birmingham, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Memphis, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, St. Louis and Tampa to deal with out-of-state.

In short, Venables did not have enough momentum to effectively make the transition to the SEC as seamless as what Sarkisian did at Texas. He came from an SEC school in Alabama. This is his third Power Four job. Sarkisian was far more prepared to build his program in the manner it needed to be competitive right away in the SEC. Venables' contract extension has only given him a longer runway.

Eventually, Venables is going to run out of tarmac in Norman get tarmac-ed like Lane Kiffin once did.