Texas, Oklahoma attain cope with Big 12 to exit early, be a part of SEC in 2024
Texas and Oklahoma are heading to the Southeastern Conference in 2024, a yr sooner than initially deliberate, after Big 12 officers cleared the best way Thursday for the storied packages to exit their league.
Texas and Oklahoma will go away behind the $50 million every college would have acquired over the subsequent two seasons beneath the Big 12′s media contracts.
[With OU and Texas on way out, Big 12 has a branding problem]
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormak mentioned the league would solely conform to an early departure “if it was in our best interest.”
“As I have consistently stated, the Conference would only agree to an early withdrawal if it was in our best interest for Oklahoma and Texas to depart prior to June 30, 2025,” Yormark mentioned in an announcement on Thursday. “By reaching this agreement, we are now able to accelerate our new beginning as a 12-team league and move forward in earnest with our initiatives and future planning. I appreciate the approaches of OU President Joe Harroz and UT President Jay Hartzell to ensure an amicable conclusion to this process, and look forward to the bright days ahead for the Big 12 Conference.”
The settlement should nonetheless be authorised by the Texas and Oklahoma boards of regents, however that’s thought-about a formality.
BYU, Cincinnati, UCF and Houston, are becoming a member of the Big 12 previous to the 2023 soccer season, giving the league a brief membership of 14 colleges.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey mentioned in an announcement that the faculties will turn out to be full members of the convention on July 1, 2024.
“We are continuing our preparation for this membership transition, and we look forward to welcoming the conference’s new members and moving into our future as a 16-team league,” Sankey mentioned.
The strikes by Texas and Oklahoma have been within the works since 2021, when the SEC invited the Big 12’s marquee packages to affix what’s already the strongest soccer convention within the nation.
Oklahoma and Texas have mixed for 10 nationwide championships as decided by The Associated Press, however none for the reason that Longhorns’ 2005 season championship. TCU, which made it the College Football Playoff championship sport final season, joined Oklahoma as the one Big 12 groups to make the playoff.
Money has been a driving issue within the shifting panorama of school athletics realignment. The SEC reported a income distribution of $49.9 million per college for the 2021-2022 college yr, exceeding by greater than $7 million what the Big 12 distributed to its members for a similar interval.
Adding Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC’s broadcast portfolio is predicted to solely enhance the league’s payout. The addition of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF will increase the Big 12′s nationwide footprint and push the league into new media markets.
Texas and Oklahoma haven’t already left for the SEC as a result of each colleges have been tied to the Big 12 and its different members by means of a grant of media rights by means of the 2024-25 college yr. That deal ran concurrently with the convention’s tv contracts with FOX and ESPN.
“We have always been committed to fulfilling our contractual obligations to the Big 12. The collegiate athletics landscape has continued to evolve rapidly, and working together to accelerate our exit produced benefits for all parties,” Texas President Jay Hartzell mentioned. “The Big 12 has been a respected partner for nearly three decades, and we look forward to a final season of spirited competition with our friends and rivals.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
Top tales from FOX Sports:
Get extra from College Football Follow your favorites to get details about video games, information and extra
Texas Longhorns College Baseball Oklahoma Sooners