Oklahoma, Texas accepted into SEC

The SEC, known as arguably the strongest conference in college football, will bring on Oklahoma and Texas, who have 10 national championships between the two of them.

Oklahoma and Texas accepted invitations to join the Southeastern Conference in July 2025 on Friday, worried that their storied athletic programs were in danger of losing ground if they stayed in the Big 12.

A whirlwind week of official moves —- after who knows exactly how long the schools worked behind the scenes —- came to a conclusion when regents at both Texas and Oklahoma unanimously jumped at the chance to join the SEC.

“After thorough consideration and study it became obvious that standing pat would be falling behind,” Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said.

The SEC, already the strongest football conference in the country, welcomed its newest members, who arrive with 10 national championships between them as determined by The Associated Press.

“The SEC has already established itself as the premier conference in collegiate athletics, and the addition of these two tradition-rich programs will make for an even more competitive league in all sports,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said in a statement.

New broke of discussions between Texas and Oklahoma and the SEC last week. The schools and conference remained silent on the matter until this week.

On Monday, Texas and Oklahoma informed the Big 12 they would not be extending a media rights agreement with the conference after it expires in 2025.

On Tuesday, the schools applied for SEC membership.

On Thursday, the SEC presidents voted to extend invitations, and Friday it was a done deal.

“This is a move for stability and preservation and propagation,” Oklahoma President Joe Harroz said. “We believe this move is not just best for OU, we believe this move is best for our state.”

For now, the arrival of the Longhorns and Sooners in the SEC is four years out. Texas and Oklahoma are bound to the Big 12 and its other eight members by a grant of media rights that runs through the 202425 school year, concurrent with the conference’s television contracts.

“I want to just reiterate that we will be in the Big 12 for the foreseeable future,” Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte told his board.

The future of the Big 12 without its two strongest programs, in football and many other sports, is unknown. Earlier this week, Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said “like many others, we will use the next four years to fully assess what the landscape will look like in 2025 and beyond.”

“The remaining eight institutions will work together in a collaborative manner to thoughtfully and strategically position the Big 12 Conference for continued success, both athletically and academically, long into the future,” he said.

None of that is likely to stop Texas and Oklahoma from trying to leave earlier than 2025 despite facing tens of millions of dollars in buyouts and potential legal headaches.