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SEC Tells Georgia, Tennessee to Clear Non-Conference Games v. Oklahoma Starting in 2023

Oklahoma’s move to the SEC may be arriving sooner than we thought. After ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel cited sources Wednesday reporting that the

John E. Hoover

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Oklahoma’s move to the SEC may be arriving sooner than we thought.

After ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel cited sources Wednesday reporting that the Southeastern Conference has informed Tennessee and Georgia to not play their upcoming home-and-home series against Oklahoma, OU quickly confirmed it.

Joint press releases from OU and the SEC announced that the school’s impending transition into the Southeastern Conference “will not allow for the involved institutions (Georgia and Tennessee) to fulfill their respective contractual non-conference home-and-home appearance obligations.

“Because the second non-conference game in each of the Oklahoma-Georgia and Oklahoma-Tennessee series is scheduled to take place after OU joins the SEC in 2025, the conference is directing the postponement of the Georgia at Oklahoma game in 2023 and the Oklahoma at Tennessee game in 2024 until such time that those matchups become part of the conference rotation of games in future years.”

So a 2023 or 2024 move for OU and Texas isn’t guaranteed, but these developments clear the path for it to become far more probable.

The Bulldogs and Sooners are scheduled to meet next year in Norman, and OU at UT — a game that was originally canceled by the COVID pandemic — was originally set for 2024. OU is also scheduled to play at Georgia in 2031.

Texas' coming SEC series don't apply under this adjustment. Texas has the second game of a home-and-home series scheduled next year at Alabama (the teams played the first game last week in Austin) as well as home-and-home series scheduled with Georgia (2028-29) and Florida (2030-31). 

Because the Texas-Alabama series is scheduled to conclude before the Longhorns begin membership in the SEC in '25, and because their series with Georgia and Florida begin after the transition, there's currently no urgency to rearrange future schedules. 

The Sooners also have contracts for future home-and-home series with LSU (2027 in Norman, 2028 in Baton Rouge) and Alabama (2032 in Norman, 2033 in Tuscaloosa).

Later Tuesday, Baton Rouge radio host Matt Moscona reported that LSU will lose its non-conference home-and-home series with OU and is working on options to replace the Sooners.

In its press release Tuesday, OU announced the addition of a home-and-home series with SMU, to be played next year (Sept. 9) in Norman and in Dallas (Sept. 11) in 2027.

“We recognize the original excitement in hosting Georgia next season and traveling to Knoxville in 2024, and the short-term disappointment this news may bring,” said OU athletic director Joe Castiglione. “But the circumstances obviously dictated a change in our schedules. The good news is that future SEC schedules will provide a reasonable rotation whereby Georgia and Tennessee come to Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and we will also play on those great campuses.

“And we're grateful to be able to fill the Georgia scheduling gap with the series against SMU, a program that has won 25 games over the last three seasons. Special thanks to SMU Athletics Director Rick Hart for his cooperation during this shift in scheduling.”

This story will be updated through the day Wednesday as more information becomes available.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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