College football may experience a seismic shift should they get their way and move to the SEC. | Stock
College football may experience a seismic shift should they get their way and move to the SEC. | Stock
College football fans better prepare to brace themselves for a Big 12 shakeup, after The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Oklahoma officially announced their intent last month to depart the athletic conference.
The power move sets the stage for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) to potentially become the first 16-team super-conference in college football.
The crucial first step in changing leagues comes in the form of both universities declining to renew their 2024-25 grant of rights agreement with the Big 12.
Oklahoma State President Kayse Shrum, a remaining member of the Big 12, released a blistering statement calling the move to not sign the 2024-25 grant of rights agreement, "strategic" and "deliberate," according to CBS Sports.
"We believe these conversations, which developed over a long period of time, are in clear breach of the bylaws of the Big 12 Conference and broke a bond of trust between our universities in existence for decades," Shrum said in a statement.
During his induction into the South Carolina Hall of Fame, former South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier weighed in on what could be a major blow to the Big 12.
"I don't know why they would want to," Spurrier told reporters. "Oklahoma gets in that Final 4 (through) the Big 12 every year. I believe I'd stay there. I guess the money would be a huge difference, but I think I would like to keep playing the teams I'm playing in the history of the program instead of jumping around for more money."
There has also been talk that Big 12 powers Michigan and Ohio State could be the next two teams to leave for the SEC.
Jack McGuire, a writer for Barstool Sports and a producer on the college football podcast "Unnecessary Roughness," tweeted that the SEC may be trying to create a 20-team mega-conference.
"SEC has been in serious contact with Ohio State, Michigan, Clemson, and Florida State," McGuire tweeted.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has not confirmed or denied the acquisition of more teams in his conference.
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