DELAYED? Texas And OU Big 12 Exit Talks Stall, Will Join SEC in 2025

According to reports, talks for the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners' exit from the Big 12 have stalled, and the two schools will not join the SEC until 2025.

Matt Galatzan | Feb 3, 2023

AUSTIN - Just when it seemed like the Texas Longhorns were going to be suiting up in the SEC sooner than expected, those hopes have now suffered a major setback.

According to reports from ESPN's Pete Thamel, negotiations for the Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners to leave the Big 12 early to join the SEC in 2024 have now stalled, and the two schools will now join the SEC in 2025 when the Big 12's Grant of Rights expires.

Said Thamel:

The effort for Oklahoma and Texas to leave the Big 12 a year early and join the SEC in 2024 has stalled and at this point is unlikely to come to fruition.

Texas and Oklahoma will join the SEC in 2025, as parties couldn’t come to terms amid a complex negotiation between two schools (OU/Texas), two networks (ESPN/FOX) and the Big 12.

Despite being stuck in the new-look big 12 for two more seasons, the Longhorns will have another SEC matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa to start the 2023 season.

The Longhorns will also get to keep their matchup in 2024 with the Michigan Wolverines intact without any issues.

Once the two schools do make the move, the size of the SEC will increase from 14 to 16 teams, and reunite the Longhorns and the Sooners with former Big 12 foes Texas A&M and Missouri, who left to join the conference after the 2011 season.

Now, unfortunately, we will all just have to wait a little longer for those rivalries to re-ignite.

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Published Feb 3, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.