"This is big boy football now": Peyton Manning’s dad Archie Manning welcomes Oklahoma Sooners to SEC with a stark warning

NFL legend Peyton Manning's father, Archie Manning, has issued a warning to the Oklahoma Sooners who have joined the Southeastern Conference. Oklahoma and Texas officially joined the SEC on Monday, which only strengthens the conference.

Ahead of the Sooners' first year in the SEC, Manning thinks the program may struggle, implying Oklahoma isn't used to playing "big boy football."

"I have some great Oklahoma friends," Manning said at the Manning Passing Academy, via 247Sports. "I've told them, 'This is big boy football now. This is big boy football.' I'm not knocking the Big 12. The record and the programs in the SEC speak for themselves. These are two great programs and two great traditions coming in. Boy, you line up these 16 teams and it's strong. It's strong."

The SEC is arguably the best and deepest conference in college football, so Oklahoma will have a much harder time having success than it did in the Big 12.

With that, Archie Manning believes it could be a difficult first year for the Sooners in the SEC.

Oklahoma's Brent Venables embracing the move to SEC

Brent Venables enters his third year at Oklahoma

Coach Brent Venables is excited for the Oklahoma Sooners to compete in the SEC.

Venables is entering his third year as the head coach of the Sooners, and he knows the pressure is on him and his team to show they belong in the SEC.

"This year is, obviously, incredibly important," Venables said on 'The Paul Finebaum Show.' "We've worked really hard the last couple of years to prepare for this moment. But what's sitting in front of us right now is trying to put together the best roster that we can and have these guys as well prepared as we can.

"We're running towards the SEC with great expectations and excitement, and again, this will be a launching point for this program moving forward."

Oklahoma is coming off a 10-3 season last year, while in the two years that Venables has been the head coach, he has led the program to a 16-10 record.

In the 2024 season, the Sooners will have notable games against Tennessee, Auburn, Texas, Ole Miss, Alabama and LSU.

Along with making the move to the SEC, Oklahoma inked Venables to a new six-year contract, according to ESPN.