The college sports overhaul continues as Texas and Oklahoma could move from the Big 12 to the SEC in a matter of weeks.
According to a report from The Athletic, the two schools “will send letters to the Big 12 on Monday informing the league that they do not intend to renew its grant-of-rights agreement upon expiration in 2025.”
On Friday, Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman lit the college sports world on fire, saying that the “Texas-OU move to the SEC is almost done.”
“Prominent Big 12 source tells the American-Statesman the Texas-OU move to the SEC is almost done,” Bohls posted on Twitter. “They’ve been working on this for a minimum of 6 months, and the A&M leadership was left out of discussions and wasn’t told about it. Move could become official in a week.”
Prominent Big 12 source tells the American-Statesman the Texas-OU move to the SEC is almost done. "They've been working on this for a minimum of 6 months, and the A&M leadership was left out of discussions and wasn't told about it." Move could become official in a week.
— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) July 23, 2021
According to ESPN, the report that Texas A&M was left out of the conversation is not true.
The report comes days after speculation emerged that the two Big 12 powerhouses reached out to the Southeastern Conference about potentially joining. On Thursday, the Big 12 athletic directors, university presidents, and chancellors held a videoconference to discuss the situation, with OU and Texas declining to attend.
“There is a recognition that institutions may act in their own self-interest, however, there is an expectation that members adhere to Conference bylaws and the enforcement of Grant of Rights agreements,” the Big 12 said in a statement to ESPN.
OU and Texas signed a Big 12 grant-of-rights agreement that ties the two schools’ football and basketball programs to the conference through June 30, 2025, meaning the conference would own the media rights for both sports.
Should they leave, the schools could owe the Big 12 conference $76 million, and they would need the support of 11 of the 14 SEC schools in order to join the conference.
The move directly impacts Texas A&M University, which joined the SEC in 2012 partly to get away from their in-state rival.
“We want to be the only SEC program in the state of Texas,” A&M athletic director Ross Bjork said. “There’s a reason why Texas A&M left the Big 12 — to be standalone, to have our own identity.”
Texas A&M AD Ross Bjork on news that Texas and OU could be coming to the SEC: “We want to be the only SEC team from the state of Texas.”
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 21, 2021
Ross Bjork says he was unaware of Texas/OU interest in joining the SEC. SEC ADs have not discussed the issue, he says.
It's clear where the Aggies stand.
"There’s a reason why Texas A&M left the Big 12 – to be stand alone & have our own identity. That’s our feeling," he says.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 21, 2021
“We’re the best league in college football and everybody wants to play there, and now you’ve got two iconic brands that want to join, too,” Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “It’s an exclusive club and not everybody gets in, so good luck, especially if A&M has anything to do with it.”
Should Texas and OU make the move to the SEC, the Big 12 would be left with eight teams, making it necessary for the conference to reach out to other schools about potentially joining the Big 12. Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF expressed interest the last time the conference discussed expansion.
As conference realignment in college sports continues, the question becomes whether other conferences will also look to add teams.
The PAC-12 – which added Colorado and Utah in 2011 — said they would be “foolish” not to listen to potential candidates.
“I consider the Pac-12 an exclusive club with a high barrier to entry,” PAC-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff said. “We love the schools and teams we have today. We’re not actively seeking to poach any teams from any conference, but we’d be foolish not to listen if schools call us.”
The landscape of college athletics has changed drastically over the past month, as student-athletes are now allowed to profit off of their Name, Image, and Likeness.
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].