In a statement made this morning by the universities of Texas and Oklahoma, they have notified Big XII officials that “they will not be renewing their grants of media rights following expiration in 2025.”
It seems like the last ditch effort by the Big XII will not be enough. The rumors were that they would be offering a significant increase in profit sharing to the Longhorns and Sooners, but the rivals minds have already been made up. They will both most likely be joining the SEC as they try and create a “super-conference,” the first one that we will see in major college football.
Joint statement from Texas and Oklahoma:
"The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Oklahoma notified the Big 12 Athletic Conference today that they will not be renewing their grants of media rights following expiration in 2025." pic.twitter.com/tfi8eEq03z
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) July 26, 2021
The SEC will now have multiple power teams in the eyes of many experts. Oklahoma has overtaken the Longhorns for their soon-to-be former conference, but with Texas hiring former Alabama assistant Steve Sarkasian, the expectation is that they’ll return to their previous prominence.
The next question is how will the other conferences go about challenging the SEC. Will the ACC add more team, Notre Dame obviously being the biggest potential addition. Will the Big Ten add former Big XII cast-offs or will it be the PAC-12?
The only clear answer we have right now is that Texas and Oklahoma’s run in the Big XII is coming to an end. It’s going to be a very interning next few off-seasons in college football.