After months of complicated negotiations mixed with several speed bumps, Texas and Oklahoma finally have an early arrival date in the SEC for 2024.
The Big 12 announced an agreement Thursday on the blockbuster move of the Longhorns and Sooners. Texas and Oklahoma had confirmed their exit from their longtime home in July 2021, but the move to SEC was on hold until July 1, 2025, because of the grant of rights agreement between the two schools and the Big 12.
While rumors had circulated for more than a year about an early departure for Texas and OU, the speculation was tempered because of all the moving parts – a couple of blueblood football schools, two power conferences and sports media powerhouses in ESPN and Fox with conflicting agendas. A key aspect was making Fox, a co-holder of Big 12 rights, financially whole for the loss of two ratings magnets a year early.
The different sides had been negotiating seriously since October. It quickly accelerated with Big 12 athletic directors briefed on a possible move during a December meeting in Las Vegas.
Texas and Oklahoma had even discussed a possible joint announcement for early last week, only to have an agreement come apart with ensuing pessimistic media reports. It turned out that the sides just needed a short break in the negotiations, not dead, not close to it.
The breakdown of the exit fees for the two schools and what concessions had to be made Fox were not immediately available.
Oklahoma and Texas will experience a financial windfall in the SEC. The conference announced Thursday revenue distribution of $49.9 million per team for the 2021-22 academic year, or about $7.3 million more than the Big 12. The SEC’s revenue is expected to skyrocket with a new TV deal with ESPN starting in 2024.
So ready or not, Texas and Oklahoma are headed to the brave new world of the SEC. The focus, as always, will be on football.
Texas, coming off an 8-5 season in 2022, may be the Big 12 favorite this coming year in coach Steve Sarkisian’s third season. The Longhorns have struggled to return to the truly elite level since a national championship game loss to Alabama after the 2009 season.
Oklahoma has done much better, with four College Football Playoff appearances. But the Sooners struggled last season, going 6-7 after the departure of coach Lincoln Riley to USC and the hiring of Brent Venables.
Still, both schools face an adjustment in football.
Never mind the hype or the arrogance. The SEC is indeed different and, yes, better. Teams from the It Just Means More Conference have won six of the last College Football Playoff titles, including the last four.
Unless you have a generational quarterback – like Texas A&M found with Johnny Manziel in its SEC debut – it’s hard to have immediate success in the SEC.
While Texas and Oklahoma have the No. 3 and 4 ranked recruiting classes this year as ranked by the 247Sports composite, history shows it takes year of stockpiling talent. The current SEC holds four of the top nine stops in the recruiting rankings with Alabama and Georgia 1-2.
With the timetable now set for the departure of Texas and Oklahoma – and what promises to be an interesting farewell tour for the 2023-24 season – the Big 12 is now free to move to a new and different era. For better or worse, Texas and Oklahoma have defined the Big 12 nationally.
Now, the eight remaining Big 12 schools will be adding newcomers BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston for the 2023-24 season. It also opens up the conference to pursue expansion options, including Pac-12 possibilities (Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah) as well as a basketball-only move (Gonzaga).
