The Big 12 announced Thursday that the conference has reached an agreement in principle to allow the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma to leave the conference for the SEC following the conclusion of the 2023-24 sports year.
Texas and Oklahoma will pay the conference a combined $100 million to starting at the big 12 a year ahead of schedule.
A giant Texas Longhorns flag is flown in celebration of a victory after a Big 12 college football game between the Texas Longhorns and the Kansas State Wildcats on November 5, 2022 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The measure is subject to final approval by the school’s governing boards.
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«As I have always said, the conference would only accept an early withdrawal if it was in our best interest for Oklahoma and Texas depart by June 30, 2025,» Commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement. «By reaching this agreement, we can now accelerate our fresh start 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 in ensuring an amicable conclusion to this process and I look forward to the bright days ahead for the Big 12 Conference.»
The Big 12 will welcome four new additions — BYU, Central Florida, Houston and Cincinnati — on July 1 to form a 14-team league in 2023-24.
The Oklahoma Sooners logo on the ground before a basketball game against the Butler Bulldogs at the Lloyd Noble Center on December 7, 2021 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
«The Southeastern Conference learned today of the Big 12 Conference’s decision to change the membership exit date for the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas,» SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. . «We continue our preparation for this membership transition and look forward to welcoming the new members to the conference and moving toward our future as a 16-team league.
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«The SEC chairmen and chancellors previously voted with unanimous approval to accept the application of Oklahoma and Texas to join the conference on July 1, 2025, and now authorized the conference office to proceed to ease Oklahoma’s transition. and Texas to become full members of the Southeastern Conference on July 1, 2024.»
Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Keondre Coburn (99) points to the sky after sacking Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Davis Beville (11) during a game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns on Jan. October 2022, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. (Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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College athletics have undergone a seismic shift over the past year, as several colleges have switched conferences.
USC and UCLA announced their moves from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten during the summer.