Tag: SEC expansion

Report: Oklahoma, Texas release joint statement on future with the Big 12

After reports surfaced Wednesday afternoon, the Sooners and Longhorns made their grant of rights plans official in joint statement.

What has been expected since Wednesday has come to pass. The Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns are on their way out of the Big 12.

After several days of reports, the University of Oklahoma officially announced in a joint statement with the University of Texas that the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns will break with the Big 12 when their grant of media rights expires in 2025.

Though the Sooners “intend to honor their existing grant of rights agreement,” they believe that providing notice at this juncture was important “in advance of the expiration of the conference’s current media rights agreement.”

While both universities intend to honor the existing agreements, they did leave space for that to change as they “continue to monitor the rapidly evolving collegiate landscape.”

College football as we know it has been upended over the last couple of months. Just as the name, image and likeness era has begun, two of the Big 12’s premier college football teams will be migrating to a new conference, presumably the Southeastern Conference.

Though nothing’s official at this stage, it’s expected the Sooners and the Longhorns will land in the SEC when it comes time to announce their new conference affiliation.

Report: Oklahoma, Texas release joint statement on future with the Big 12

After reports surfaced Wednesday afternoon, the Sooners and Longhorns made their grant of rights plans official in joint statement.

What has been expected since Wednesday has come to pass. The Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns are on their way out of the Big 12.

After several days of reports, the University of Oklahoma officially announced in a joint statement with the University of Texas that the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns will break with the Big 12 when their grant of media rights expires in 2025.

Though the Sooners “intend to honor their existing grant of rights agreement,” they believe that providing notice at this juncture was important “in advance of the expiration of the conference’s current media rights agreement.”

While both universities intend to honor the existing agreements, they did leave space for that to change as they “continue to monitor the rapidly evolving collegiate landscape.”

College football as we know it has been upended over the last couple of months. Just as the name, image and likeness era has begun, two of the Big 12’s premier college football teams will be migrating to a new conference, presumably the Southeastern Conference.

Though nothing’s official at this stage, it’s expected the Sooners and the Longhorns will land in the SEC when it comes time to announce their new conference affiliation.

Despite meeting with the Big 12, Oklahoma expected to inform conference of exit

Oklahoma Sooners are expected to inform Big 12 of their exit on Monday.

On Sunday evening the Oklahoma Sooners school president Jay Harroz met with the Big 12 Conference’s executive committee. According to the statement released by the conference, they believe the conversation was productive and hopefully will lead to more in the coming days.

ESPN’s Heather Dinich believes this is a wasted effort by the Big 12 in hopes of keeping the two anchor schools.

Big 12 sources told ESPN’s Heather Dinich they are still expecting Oklahoma and Texas to formally notify the league on Monday that they don’t intend to extend their existing media rights deals with the conference, which expire in June 2025. – Dave Wilson, ESPN

While that move is still years away, it is likely that Oklahoma and/or Texas don’t wait until the end of their current deal to leave the conference. Would the SEC extend an invitation to both blue blood programs knowing they will stay through the 2024-25 college football season?

As Dave Wilson writes, it could be a legal strategy for both schools until an exit plan has been agreed upon.

It’s a possible legal strategy, one source surmised, that would supersede the reality of the fractured relationships it’s bound to cause within the league.

One Big 12 source told ESPN their conference officials are anticipating that the SEC presidents and chancellors will eventually vote on whether to formally extend an invitation to Oklahoma and Texas. There is no current timetable as to when a vote might happen, according to an SEC source. The question is if the SEC would extend an invitation knowing the legal strategy of Texas and Oklahoma is to stay through the duration of the TV contract — if that’s what those schools choose to do.

While the Big 12 continues its effort to keep both schools in-house, that relationship could be too far gone to turn it around. That remains to be seen but this story is still being written.

Stay tuned.

Predicting where the rest of the Big 12 will go after Texas, Oklahoma go to the SEC

The Big 12 is likely losing the rest of their teams if Texas and Oklahoma go to the SEC. Where will they go?

The unthinkable happened over this past week, as the two faces of the Big 12 — Texas and Oklahoma — are now expected to leave the conference for greener pastures.

The two schools have been laying the groundwork for the past six months to join the SEC, which per multiple reports by ESPN and Austin American-Statesman, Texas A&M was not aware of.

Realignment was bound to happen again, but no one was expecting it to happen this soon.

Not to mention, many assumed that the Big 12 would try to add two more teams to fill up the conference. There were some very impressive candidates available that would have made sense to join the Big 12, but now that Texas and Oklahoma are leaving, there is a firm belief by experts everywhere that this is it for the Big 12.

Now, it has left the other eight schools in a dilemma. Do they wait to see if the Big 12 can wrangle up four more teams, or do they be proactive in an attempt to join another conference? I personally think they should just begin their searches for a new conference before they’re left behind.

With that being said, I’ll take my best shot at predicting where each of the remaining teams in the Big 12 could end up.

Texas and Oklahoma To The SEC? It Just Doesn’t Mean More To Everyone: Daily Cavalcade

Daily College Football Cavalcade: Texas and Oklahoma might leave for the SEC, but there are a few key things missing in the speculation.

Daily College Football Cavalcade: Texas and Oklahoma might leave for the SEC, but there are a few key things everyone is missing in the speculation.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Because the possibility of Texas and Oklahoma going to the SEC is all anyone wants to talk about right now, this week will feature a series of Daily Cavalcades with different views on what could be a seminal moment in college sports.

Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

I’m trying to get fans in other parts of the country to care about reading it.

– Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC? What if it’s no big deal?

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The players still aren’t going to get a cut of the revenue, but that NIL thing is a nice cookie thrown their way. But I digress …

I’ve always been Mr. College Sports Business Progressive guy.

I’ve been screaming for 20 years that players should be able to take money, gifts, and benefits from anyone who wants to provide them, and now Name, Image and Likeness is here.

And it’s … okay. Maybe.

I’ve been screaming for 20 years that the NCAA’s influence needs to be deemphasized, with more power going to the conferences and schools to govern themselves, and now there’s a push that way.

And it’s … okay. Maybe.

I’ve been screaming for 20 years that the schools with the giant athletic departments, fan bases, and revenue streams should break away from the rest of the pack and form a super-level of college sports to generate more exposure, more revenue, and a higher quality product for everyone, and now Texas and Oklahoma might be going to the SEC.

And it’s … okay?

I’m not quite sure.

Remember, the SEC means more to the SEC, but not to everyone else.

There are two massive parts of this equation that Texas, Oklahoma, the SEC, and big-time college sports people appear to be missing, and they’re both going to be a problem if this goes through.

First, if the players are being paid/compensated, and the conferences are realigning – potentially – to completely shut out all but about 75 schools in the name of more revenue and bigger business, then how is this not a professional sports league?

Duh, major college athletics have always been that, but now there’s no subtlety about it.

And if it’s about the money with the SEC, and it’s about creating more of a sports league-type of system rather than a conference of institutions of higher education, then why should sports fans care about that when we can watch better players, better coaches, and a far better caliber of football – because this is about football – with the NFL?

If there’s no charm to college football and it’s ALL business, then what’s the point? And that leads to the second issue that everyone seems to be forgetting …

Pac-12 fans don’t give a flying poop about the SEC.

Big Ten fans don’t care about the SEC, and ACC fans sort of care about the SEC because of the region. Oh, and Big 12 fans are going to despise the SEC.

So yeah, there’s revenue to be made, and the addition of Texas and Oklahoma would bring a higher level of football and attention to the SEC, but there’s not going to be the overall worldwide expansion the SEC/Longhorn/Sooner types might think is coming.

All they’re doing is creating a bigger, more interesting bubble.

College sports are almost entirely regional. Yeah, fans across the country will watch the biggest games, but this isn’t the NFL where fans care about their bets and fantasy teams on a national level. So going forward, the SEC has a very tricky wire to walk.

The SEC – assuming it gets Texas and Oklahoma – will have try to get harder, better, faster, stronger, but it can’t be so amazing and so dominant that it makes the rest of college football totally irrelevant. The SEC still needs the Big Ten and Pac-12 to matter, if only to keep other regions of the country interested and involved.

Yeah, be careful what you wish for, SEC – and Mr. College Sports Business Progressive guy – you’re probably going to get it.

It’ll mean a whole lot more to one part of the country, but that business side might not be quite as great if it doesn’t mean more to everyone.

– CFN 2021 College Football Preview of all 130 teams

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– Predictions for every Big 12 game

Texas and Oklahoma To The SEC? What If It’s No Big Deal?: Daily Cavalcade

Daily College Football Cavalcade: What if Texas and Oklahoma leaving for the SEC – if it happens – doesn’t turn out to be that big a deal?

Daily College Football Cavalcade: What if Texas and Oklahoma leaving for the SEC – if it happens – doesn’t turn out to be that big a deal?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Because the possibility of Texas and Oklahoma going to the SEC is all anyone wants to talk about right now, this week will feature a series of Daily Cavalcades with different views on what could be a seminal moment in college sports.

Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

I’m still mentally preparing for what’s sure to be a Missouri vs. Texas A&M SEC Championship, all while holding my breath for that first Florida State vs. Miami ACC title game.

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Oh, by the way, Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and TCU have won Big 12 football championships since Texas last got one in 2009

Of course it would be a big, giant, hairy deal if Texas and Oklahoma go to the SEC.

OF COURSE it would.

But what if it’s not? What if it turns out to simply be two college football programs joining a conference full of other college football programs – as has happened from time to time?

I know, I know, the Big 12 is hosed, the world of college sports is about to blow up, and the SEC will roll its expansion army over and through the woefully ill-prepared conference landscape, but that was supposed to happen in 1997, too.

1996 was the last year of the Southwest Conference, comprised of Baylor, Houston, Rice, SMU, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech in the final stages, with Arkansas bolting for the SEC in 1991.

– 2021 CFN Big 12 Preseason Rankings

Houston left for Conference USA. Rice, SMU, and TCU went to the WAC – sky point – and Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech were off to join the Big 8 to create the supposedly unstoppable new Big 12.

That was it. Tradition was gone, rivalries were over, and obituaries mourning the death of the college sports charm were printed far and wide in these things they had back then called newspapers.

And then everyone moved on, enjoyed the Big 12, and 92% of all those who just read that first part have led fulfilling lives loaded with purpose having never heard of the Southwest Conference.

The Big 12 went through several twists and turns, Oklahoma eventually grew into the conference’s biggest force, and things changed and adapted as conferences often do. And if the two anchor tenants leave, things will change again as the Big 12 keeps on rolling. If it doesn’t, that just means all those schools left behind will play football in some other configuration and designation.

But assume the Big 12 will still be a thing.

Remember, Nebraska and Kansas State were the early national title-level superpowers of the new Big 12 in the North division, and then the power was truly up top when Colorado reemerged as a force. Meanwhile, Texas went 4-7 in its first season and Oklahoma went 4-8.

As time went on, Missouri and Texas A&M left for the SEC. Colorado bolted for the Pac-12, Nebraska left for the Big Ten, and the Big 12 brought in TCU, who was kicking butt in the WAC, and then Conference USA, and then the Mountain West, but it was just some lower-conference program that wasn’t going to do anything on the bigger stage.

Texas and Oklahoma in a ten-team Big 12? Oh that was it. How boring would it be when those two dominated every year, and …

Nope. Oklahoma might have rocked over the last six years, but 2014 TCU and lowly Baylor were both THIS close to getting into the first College Football Playoff.

So let me throw out this possibility. Let’s say Texas remains just above-average after joining the SEC. It’s good, it wins a few big games here and there, but it’s still 8-4ish tough with an occasional flirtation with the conference title game.

Let’s also speculate that Oklahoma in the SEC loses a few games it wouldn’t have in the – we’re all adults here so we can speak freely – lighter Big 12.
Welcome to the SEC, where you can be really, really, really 10-2-great and get a fat load of jack squat for it.

Meanwhile, if Texas and Oklahoma leave, that means others – like Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Kansas State, West Virginia – would and could rise up and fill the empty void at the top of the standings, even if they’re not at the same level program-wise as the two big boys who bolted. That’s before getting into the expansion possibilities, too.

And let’s also dispense with the notion that a 12-team College Football Playoff would be overrun by SEC programs. Six conference champs would be in, and no, there wouldn’t be seven SEC teams to go along with the other five.

So do this. Don’t get your undies into a twist quite yet, see how this all plays out, and let the history of the sport be your guide.

Maybe – just maybe – Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC, and college football and all of its conferences keep right on going.

– CFN 2021 College Football Preview of all 130 teams

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– Predictions for every Big 12 game

Big 12 Conference releases statement after meeting with Oklahoma and Texas

Big 12 Conference releases statement after meeting with University of Oklahoma President Jay Harroz.

The Big 12 Conference’s executive committee met with Oklahoma President Joe Harroz and Texas President Jay Hartzell on Sunday. The conference is continuing to have these meetings in an effort to keep both anchor schools within the Big 12.

Prior to this meeting, it was reported that the Big 12 was looking into giving both schools a larger share of the payouts in accordance with their TV deal. The Big 12 Conference released this statement on the meeting with both the Sooners and Longhorns presidents.

“The meeting was cordial, and the Executive Committee expressed a willingness to discuss proposals that would strengthen the Conference and be mutually beneficial to OU and UT, as well as the other member institutions of the Conference,” Bowlsby stated. “I expect that we will continue our conversations in the days ahead and we look forward to discussing thoughts, ideas and concepts that may be of shared interest and impact.” – per Big 12 Sports

It is expected that both schools were going to send official letters to the conference stating their positions. Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby is looking to pull out every trick to keep Oklahoma and Texas from heading to the SEC.

Given the severity of the situation, no one can blame them. Will it be enough is the big question. It is hard to fathom anything the conference can offer that they won’t get in the SEC.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions.

Former Alabama, Dallas Cowboys safety George Teague weighs in on latest SEC news

Former Alabama safety George Teague weighs in on Oklahoma moving to the SEC.

Former Alabama Crimson Tide safety George Teague knows something about playing the SEC. During his time with the Tide, Teague helped an Alabama team win the national championship in 1992. Eventually becoming a first-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in the 1993 NFL draft.

He is mostly known as the defender of the star, during his second stint with the Dallas Cowboys he plowed San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens at midfield during a celebration.

Around SEC country, he is remembered as an All-SEC free safety. The play called “the strip” is what most remember him for. During the 1993 Sugar Bowl, Teague chased down Lamar Thomas and stripped the ball before he could enter the endzone. Alabama was called offsides and the ball went back to Miami, however, had it not been for his efforts the momentum could have helped the Hurricanes. Alabama won 34-13.

I recently spoke with Teague about Oklahoma heading to the SEC and asked him for his initial thoughts on the Sooners joining Alabama.

“When I first heard about it, it just seemed strange with two teams wanting to move at the same time. I really thought it was going to change the dynamics of recruiting first of all. Especially with the way that college football was going to look with two powerhouse teams moving from one conference to another.” – Teague on when the news broke

When discussing the financial implications of this sort of movement, Teague stated the financial payouts definitely go up. “The TV deals are going to rise, everything is about to rise,” Teague said. “With the talk of the playoffs expanding, I think this is going to have a huge financial impact on that for the conference. You essentially are going to have a super conference.”

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Teague went on to state that he believes a ripple effect is about to happen with teams moving around. Either remaining teams will join other conferences or conferences will begin recruiting other schools.

“This move might also benefit the recruiting in the state of Texas. Alabama coming in here, Georgia coming in here, and everybody. It’s not just the SEC.” Teague continued, “it will help these schools get into Florida, Georgia, Tennesee. It will help Oklahoma and Texas all the way around.”

When asked about the timing of the move, the former Alabama safety believes that Oklahoma will move sooner than three years from now. “I don’t think they would even start talking about this move unless it was a year out.”

Opinion: It is a money grab, not failed leadership that is leading Oklahoma to the SEC

The idea of the Oklahoma Sooners to the SEC seems less about Big 12 leadership and more about a money grab.

Plenty more opinions and reports are circulating daily in the ongoing Oklahoma to the SEC saga. Continue reading “Opinion: It is a money grab, not failed leadership that is leading Oklahoma to the SEC”

Opinion: It is a money grab, not failed leadership that is leading Oklahoma to the SEC

The idea of the Oklahoma Sooners to the SEC seems less about Big 12 leadership and more about a money grab.

Plenty more opinions and reports are circulating daily in the ongoing Oklahoma to the SEC saga. Continue reading “Opinion: It is a money grab, not failed leadership that is leading Oklahoma to the SEC”