American Author Jay Asher said this on change: “You can’t stop the future, you can’t rewind the past, the only way to learn the secret…is to press play.” This quote rings loud today because once again, the sport has found itself in a new era of expansion. Two schools that have been glued together for so long, are leaving for much greener pastures. Yesterday, Texas and Oklahoma, longtime members of the Big XII, were invited to join the South Eastern Conference. As of today, both schools have accepted the invite, and look to join the show starting July 1, 2025. Now, for any of you out there that think both schools will wait that long to join…in the words of Judas Priest, “You got another thing coming”.
The last time we had any type of conference realignment was a decade ago. The Big 12 had four schools leave- Texas a&m and Missouri left for the SEC, Nebraska went to the B1G, and Colorado to the Pac-12. The Big XII looked to be reeling but they had the foresight to keep the bridge in tacked. They invited West Virginia from the old Big East and TCU from the Mountain West. In all, the Big XII lost 4 teams but then gained two back which brought their conference to ten teams. And they were able to keep their two golden gooses- Texas and Oklahoma.
So how did we get to this point? I think the simple answer is money. Money is driving this ship. It always has and always will. Now that the Supreme Court of the United States has voted in favor to grant collegiate players payments via NIL(Name Image Likeness), this has opened a door for schools to help players get compensation from outside sources, something that has always been banned by the NCAA. This compensation changes the recruiting landscape. Texas and Oklahoma both know that if they’re ever going to be on a level playing field in recruiting and have a shot at the college football playoff on an annual basis, they must be apart of the superior brand of college football, and that is the SEC.
What I don’t understand is how did the Big XII not see this coming? How do you not have contingency plan in place for this scenario? Anyone with a brain could have told you years ago that Texas and Oklahoma weren’t going to stay there forever. Maybe it was complacency and they thought that the longhorns and sooners were happy? Who knows, the point is these schools don’t need the Big XII, it’s the opposite. These schools are blue-blood programs with long, rich history and traditions. They both combine for eleven national championships and have put out Heisman trophy winners. Their resume fits into the type of schools the SEC has and wants. With their additions, the South Eastern Conference has set itself up to be the elite conference for the long term.
If there is any irony with this story, then you have to look in college station. The Texas a&m aggies, old rivals of the longhorns and sooners, escaped the Big 12 a decade ago because they wanted to be the only university in the state of Texas to be in the conference, actually voted approval for Texas to come. At first they were against it, but some motivation from commissioner Sankey helped changed their tune. Deep down the aggies know as well as everyone that Texas brings money.
So what happens next? That’s the million dollar question. I believe this is just the first domino to fall in conference realignment. The Big XII will either stay intact by snagging some teams or they will dissolve while other conferences poach from them. You really can’t replace Oklahoma and Texas, but you can try. I think the Big XII should look really hard at BYU, Boise St., Houston, and UCF. These schools have great fan bases and good traditions. Plus you have new markets with Florida, Utah, and Idaho. I also see conference super leagues. It sounds crazy to think about, but it could be reality if we keep going the direction I think we’re going. We could be looking at a NFL type of model, where you have 2-4 leagues and different divisions-north, south, east, and west. This is all just speculation, but if I have learned anything this past week, change is inevitable.
