Tennessee HC Josh Heupel declares 'there's only one real UT' ahead of Texas joining SEC

The University of Texas will take exception to both of those claims. It will only be a matter of time before it can prove it's the rightful UT and that burnt orange is the proper shade for orange. The Longhorns join the SEC in 2024.

Heupel has a more personal grudge against Texas than most. He's a former quarterback for Oklahoma, which plays Texas annually in the "Red River Rivalry." 

Heupel started two games in the rivalry (1999, 2000) and went 1-1. He was 48-of-75 for 586 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

The SEC released the 2024 regular-season schedule on June 14. Unfortunately, Tennessee and Texas don't play each other, so the two sides will have to use the media as a proxy in their battle for the time being. The two could meet in the SEC Championship Game or perhaps as two at-large teams in the expanded College Football Playoff.

Neither of those outcomes is likely, however, so it will likely be 2025 at the earliest that we get a resolution.

The war of words off the field should be entertaining enough until then. If nothing else, at least Texas knows how inhospitable the SEC will be once it joins.