DALLAS — Even as Texas and Oklahoma bide their time in the Big 12, the SEC is preparing for their arrival.
The move from 14 schools to 16 is causing more debate than you might imagine and was one of the key topics. It was a major topic of discussion at the recently completed SEC spring meetings — once the Saban-Jimbo public feud fizzled.
Multiple reports indicated that the SEC will jettison the two-division setup for one very large league. What format that will take is yet to be determined.
“We’ve narrowed it down really to a couple of options,” Commissioner Greg Sankey said as the meetings concluded. “You never know what could emerge as we dig deeper.”
Sankey said a decision could be reached by late summer or early fall and the urgency was because members need to start arranging their future football schedules.
Here’s where things get interesting for the Longhorns and Aggies and Sooners.
Reports have two options getting the lion’s share of attention.
One would keep the current eight-game conference schedule, but with just one permanent opponent each and seven revolving opponents. It would great for variety, not so much for traditional rivalries beyond one.
In that case, Texas and Oklahoma would almost certainly push to be each other’s permanent opponent. The Red River Showdown is simply too important, too grounded in history to be jettisoned during a conference move.
“You don’t want to mess with the Oklahoma game,” said one source familiar with Texas’ thinking.
During the recent Big 12 meetings, OU athletic director Joe Castiglione made it clear where the series with Texas stood in his mind, regardless of conference.
“One way, shape or form,” Castiglione said. “There will still be a game in Dallas for the foreseeable future.”
Of course, that leaves the revival of the A&M-Texas series not quite where everybody expected when the news leaked in July 2021 of the Longhorns and Sooners joining the SEC by July 2021.
Yes, the two schools would play in an eight-game schedule but it would be twice in a four-year, span not every year.
Cue the sad trombone sound.
A nine-game schedule would include three permanent opponents and five revolving conference foes, which would solve some problems.
It’s not hard to imagine Texas with Oklahoma, Texas A&M and old Southwest Conference rival Arkansas as the three permanent opponents.
A&M favors the nine-game series as well, AD Ross Bjork said recently.
“In an eight-game model, Texas wants to keep Oklahoma and Oklahoma wants to keep Texas,” Bjork told the Houston Chronicle. “So if you have only one ‘permanent’ rival, that leaves us with LSU. We’re fine with LSU, but we want to play Texas and we want a third permanent rival. That gets you to the nine-game model.”
In addition, Oklahoma would be able to schedule Texas, old rival Missouri and maybe A&M or Arkansas.
Everybody would be happy.
The trouble is that the eight-game schedule seems to have the halftime lead coming out of the SEC meetings. The reason given, according to Sports Illustrated, was the uncertainty regarding future College Football Playoff formats as well as TV revenue.
Ohhh-kaaaay.
But it would be the ultimate anticlimax for A&M and Texas to finally be reunited and not play every season.
They know it. Hopefully everyone catches on.
