The Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns officially sent in their requests to join the Southeastern Conference on Tuesday, according to an official statement from SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.
This has been a developing story. Now it’s come to a head, and we have a timeline of when the Sooners and Longhorns will make the move from the Big 12 to the SEC.
There are obvious implications for all sports, but college football is where the massive money comes in for all these powerhouse programs.
Oklahoma has continued its phenomenal run in the post-Bob Stoops era thanks to the brilliance of Lincoln Riley. The Sooners coach has fostered the development of eventual No. 1 overall draft picks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.
Riley will enter his second season with Spencer Rattler as his starting quarterback. Rattler could well be the third QB Riley helps to first overall in the NFL Draft.
Meanwhile, Texas football is going through a transition period under new head coach Steve Sarkisian. Previously the coach at Washington and USC, Sarkisian dealt with substance abuse issues before recovering, highlighted by his latest stint as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, which resulted in the Crimson Tide winning the national championship this past year.
The larger ramifications of Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC are difficult to quantify. TV contracts are bound to be huge, the overall revenue is going to erupt and it could create a domino effect where the Power Five conferences see a lot of movement from teams as well.
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