SEC Media Days: Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel Fires Warning Shot At Texas Ahead Of New Identity War

NASHVILLE — College football is going to look completely different in 365 days than it does today. Conference realignment has changed the entire landscape of the sport and the biggest change in decades is set to go into effect on July 1, 2024.

Texas and Oklahoma will leave the Big 12 to join the SEC. The best conference in football is getting even better as the Longhorns and Sooners migrate to the Southeast.

Lane Kiffin even joked with Steve Sarkisian that the SEC schedule looks like an NFL schedule.

With the upcoming additions, a new rivalry is born over identity.

— Which school is the real 'UT' —

Is it Tennessee or Texas?

Josh Heupel, entering his third year as head coach of the Vols, made it very clear where he stands at SEC Media Days in Nashville on Thursday.

There's only one real UT. One right shade of orange.

History shows that Heupel is right in terms of which school came first. Both into existence and into the SEC!

The University of Texas at Austin was founded in 1883. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville was founded in 1794, which was actually two years before Tennessee officially became the 16th state.

As for the colors, it is entirely subjective. It comes down to personal preference.

Tennessee uses hex code: #FF8200 for its shade of orange.

Volunteer orange

Texas uses hex code: #BF5700 for its burnt orange.

Longhorns orange

Putting history aside, the answer for the "real UT" comes down to geographic location. If you say 'UT' in Texas, it's Texas. If you say 'UT' in Tennessee, it's Tennessee. Duh.

But what about the rest of the country? What about the people of Maine, Wyoming or California?

Most importantly, what about the other 11 states included in the SEC?

It's entirely up for debate. A new rivalry is born in 2024 and Heupel will continued to stand firm on his side of the fence.