IT’S OFFICIAL: Texas and OU are coming to the SEC

One day after the Texas A&M Board of Regents directed University President Katherine Banks to vote in favor of inviting Texas and Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference, she and the other 13 SEC university presidents have done just that.

The unanimous vote was far from unexpected. In fact, no school has ever been invited to join the SEC with anything short of a unanimous vote of support. Now the only question is when. The official invitation takes effect in July 2025, but it seems unlikely it will take that long. It will just come down to whether the Longhorns or Sooners are willing to pay exorbitant fees to leave early, if the Big 12 as a conference can survive that long without members being poached, or if the Big 12 pursues legal action against ESPN for actively causing the demise of the conference. And that’s all before we even sort out what divisions and schedules look like in a 16-team SEC.

Lots to figure out before the Longhorns and Sooners ever play their first game as members of the SEC, but one thing is certain. They’re coming. No one knows what this means for the rest of the Big 12 teams, or the state of college football as a whole. It could mean catastrophic change, or it could end up not being as massive a move as we all think (remember everyone was calling for the forming of super conferences in the wake of A&M and Mizzou’s departure a decade ago). But it sure will be interesting to watch unfold.