University of Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte. BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Texas Longhorns are not shying away from the competition this year.

Texas will be spending its last year in the Big 12 before joining the SEC in 2024. Ahead of their final football season in the conference, athletic director Chris Del Conte says they will “embrace the hate.”

Del Conte conducted an interview with Orangebloods.com’s Anwar Richardson on Wednesday and discussed the team’s upcoming move.

“We know we have to embrace the hate this year,” Del Conte said. “Everyone in the Big 12 is mad at us. They think we broke up the Big 12. They think that we broke up the Pac-12 because we left. We left for what is right for the University of Texas.”

Del Conte said they got T-shirts made with the “embrace the hate” motto. He also called the final year in the Big 12 the “farewell tour.”

The Longhorns have their eye on winning as many conference championships in athletics this year before heading to the SEC. Their football team is favored to win the conference, but they have to produce winning results on the field to make that happen. The football team last won the Big 12 in 2009.

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