Texas and Oklahoma reportedly eye move to SEC
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Texas and Oklahoma have made serious inquiries with the Southeastern Conference about leaving the Big 12, and the SEC is interested in adding the two schools, per multiple reports.
Why it matters: Such a move would reshape college football — and college sports as a whole — adding two of the nation's biggest athletic powerhouses to a conference that's already full of them.
What they're saying: Oklahoma and Texas both released statements, neither of which denied the report.
- "This will take some time, but there is interest on both sides," one source told Stadium's Brett McMurphy.
- Early next week, the two schools will send a letter to the Big 12 stating that neither will renew their media contracts when they expire in 2025, per Jason Whitely of WFAA in Dallas.
Yes, but: There are plenty of impediments standing in the way of this happening, namely that 11 of the SEC's 14 member schools would have to approve the expansion.
- This would be a recruiting nightmare for Texas A&M, so the Aggies are likely a hard no. "We want to be the only SEC team from the state of Texas," said Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork.
- Missouri, which left the Big 12 along with Texas A&M in 2012 to join the SEC, would also reportedly vote no.
The big picture: "If you're looking for the lever that could flip college athletics irrevocably in the direction of a new model and new shape, this would qualify," writes SI's Pat Forde.
- "Everything could be on the table, from the long-theorized four Super Leagues to a power-conference breakaway from the NCAA."
- "This could massively alter the entire enterprise, at a time when upheaval already is underway and the NCAA has never had less authority."
