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Texas, Oklahoma officially accept invitations to join the SEC
Published:
Texas and Oklahoma are officially leaving the Big 12 for the SEC.
Both universities formally accepted invitations to join the Southeastern conference at Board of Regents meetings on Friday morning.
The UT System Board of Regents unanimously votes for Texas to join the SEC.
Texas is officially a member of the SEC starting July 1, 2025 (and maybe sooner).
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) July 30, 2021
OU Board of Regents has unanimously voted to join the SEC.
The #Sooners will be official members of the SEC at least by July 1, 2025.
— Austin Curtright (@AustinCurtright) July 30, 2021
Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz gave a lengthy speech about why the Sooners are making this move. He said it was clear the Big 12 had become “last in line” when it came to the other Power 5 conferences.
Harroz now calling Big 12 being "last in line" regarding media rights negotiation. "Being last in line has consequences." #Sooners
— Guerin Emig (@GuerinEmig) July 30, 2021
Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione shared a similar sentiment:
Castiglione: "We are in a period of dramatic change and historic transformation. … It became obvious that standing pat would be falling behind."
— Mason Young (@Mason_Young_0) July 30, 2021
As of now, Texas and Oklahoma say they plan to honor the Grant of Rights agreement with the Big 12 and remain in that conference through 2025. However, a settlement is widely expected to be reached before that date.
This move has caused all sorts of drama within the Big 12, including conference commissioner Bob Bowlsby launching some serious allegations at ESPN — its largest media partner.
According to multiple reports, the AAC is expected to be the most aggressive conference in pursuit of the remaining eight teams in the Big 12. The Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC have not shown any serious interest to this point, but that could change.
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.