OU, Texas notify Big 12
No extension for Big 12 grant-of-rights deal
OU and Texas announced Monday that they would not extend its grant-ofrights agreement with the league, effectively signaling their departure for the SEC,
NORMAN — Add another layer of inevitability to OU’s departure from the Big 12.
Monday morning, OU and Texas announced in a joint statement that they would not extend its grant-ofrights agreement with the league, effectively signaling their departure for the SEC.
“Providing notice to the Big 12 at this point is important in advance of
the expiration of the conference’s current media rights agreement,” the statement read. “The universities intend to honor their existing grant of rights agreements. However, both universities will continue to monitor the rapidly evolving collegiate athletics landscape as they consider how best to position their athletics programs for the future.”
Later Monday, Sports Illustrated reported SEC presidents would meet Thursday. OU and Texas would need to apply for membership before a vote of the league’s presidents to accept the pair.
OU and Texas would need a 75% vote by the league’s current members to join the SEC.
While the move to the SEC wouldn’t happen in time for this season, the move could happen as soon as next summer, depending on potential buyout negotiations and the intentions of the other eight schools.
After Monday morning’s statement from OU and Texas, the Big 12 responded with a statement of its own.
“Although our eight members are disappointed with the decisions of these two institutions, we recognize that intercollegiate athletics is experiencing rapid change and will most likely look much different in 2025 than it does currently,” Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said in the statement.
“The Big 12 Conference will continue to support our member institutions’ efforts to graduate student-athletes, and compete for Big 12 and NCAA championships. 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.”
Oklahoma State President Kayce Shrum followed with a much stronger statement, calling OU’s talks with the SEC a violation of Big 12 bylaws.
“This action was strategic, deliberate and results from months of planning with the SEC. These conversations, which developed over a long period, are a clear breach of the Big 12 Conference bylaws and broke the decades-long bond of trust between our universities,” Shrum said in the statement. “It is difficult to understand how an Oklahoma institution of higher education would follow the University of Texas to the detriment of the state of Oklahoma.
“Nevertheless, we are looking to the future and what is best for Oklahoma State University. Over the last few days, I have received countless phone calls, texts and emails from high-ranking officials and members of the Cowboy family showing their support for OSU as we navigate the road ahead. Regardless of what comes next, OSU is dedicated to the state of Oklahoma. We remain confident OSU is in the strongest position ever, and I am excited about the future of Oklahoma State University, our landgrant mission, world-class faculty and top-notch athletic programs.”
The initial six-year grant-of-rights agreement was eventually extended to a 13-year deal, expiring in June 2025.
The change could happen well before that, though, as the remaining eight schools assess their best options moving forward.
The public talk of conference realignment centered on OU and Texas’ moves to the SEC starting Wednesday when the Houston Chronicle reported that both schools had discussed joining the conference.
Such a move could net $60 million annually for the Sooners.
But the switch won’t be easy, depending on the timing of the departure.
Big 12 bylaws require at least an 18month notice of departure, and if OU leaves earlier than June 2025, it could owe as much as $80 million based on the active grant-of-rights agreement.
OU netted $34.5 million in the Big 12’s revenue split last year, about $10 million less than each member of the SEC received.
Sunday, the executive committee of the Big 12 met with OU president Joe Harroz and Texas president Jay Hartzell. That came after a Thursday meeting that included Big 12 presidents, chancellors and athletic directors of the other eight schools. OU and Texas were invited to take part in that meeting but did not.
“The executive committee expressed a willingness to discuss proposals that would strengthen the conference and be mutually beneficial to OU and UT, as well as the other member institutions of the conference,” Bowlsby said in a release. “I expect that we will continue our conversations in the days ahead and we look forward to discussing thoughts, ideas and concepts that may be of interest and impact.”
Among the topics of discussion in that Thursday meeting, CBS Sports reported, was giving OU and Texas additional revenue shares in hopes of keeping the league intact.
Currently, the teams split the payout equally.
Texas A&M, which made its move from the Big 12 to the SEC for the 2012 season, has been opposed to inviting OU and Texas — especially the Longhorns — into the SEC.
Friday, several Texas lawmakers filed legislation that would keep public colleges in Texas from switching their conference affiliations without legislative approval. That bill, though, is largely symbolic as it isn’t related to any of the topics on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s agenda for the ongoing special session, making it ineligible to be passed into law.
“Although our eight members are disappointed with the decisions of these two institutions, we recognize that intercollegiate athletics is experiencing rapid change and will most likely look much different in 2025 than it does currently.”
Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby