Texas vs. Michigan Played Key Role In Big 12 Exit

The Longhorns will now travel to Ann Arbor in 2024 following their departure from the Big 12.

Texas and Oklahoma's path to the SEC has been cleared for 2024. The reasoning? It might have to due with the significance of one game. 

According to ESPN, one of the key factors for the Longhorns and Sooners leaving the Big 12 early was a game flip of a non-conference matchup between Michigan and Texas. The Longhorns will visit Ann Arbor to face the Wolverines in 2024, while Michigan will make the trip to Austin in 2027. 

Per Pete Thamel, the game flip was a key driver for Fox agreeing to terms with the Sooners and Longhorns leaving a year early. Starting in 2024, ESPN will own the rights to SEC games while Fox, along with NBC and CBS, will carry games from the Big Ten. 

As part of the exit agreement, Texas and Oklahoma will owe a combined $100 million to the conference, much of which will be distributed to the eight Big 12 legacy programs remaining past the 2023 season. The reasoning is to offset an expected decrease in their conference revenue come 2024.

Sources: A key part of the deal to let OU and Texas out of Big 12 early was a game flip of a non-conference match-up between Michigan and Texas. Texas will now visit Michigan in 2024 in Ann Arbor and Michigan will return the game in Austin in 2027. They’d been scheduled opposite.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 10, 2023

This offseason, the Big 12 will expand to 14 teams with the additions of Brigham Young, Cincinnati, Central Florida, and Houston starting on July 1. According to league reports, the conference could look to expand even further following Texas and Oklahoma's departure. 

"By reaching this agreement, we are now able to accelerate our new beginning as a 12-team league and move forward in earnest with our initiatives and future planning," Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said in a prepared statement. "I appreciate the approaches of OU President Joe Harroz and UT President Jay Hartzell to ensure an amicable conclusion to this process, and look forward to the bright days ahead for the Big 12 Conference."

In its final year with the conference, Texas will take on Houston and BYU as part of the new initiative. The Longhorns will not face UCF, Cincinnati, West Virginia and Oklahoma State before departing for the SEC. 

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