In 2021, as SEC Media Days was getting underway from Hoover, news broke that shook the college sports world. Texas and Oklahoma would be leaving the Big 12 to join the league in 2025 – a decision that effectively kicked off a groundbreaking round of conference realignment.
Monday, that move will become a reality after the two teams came to an agreement with the Big 12 to join the SEC a year earlier than originally planned. Plenty has changed since that initial report, though, as Texas made the College Football Playoff and Oklahoma reloaded after Lincoln Riley’s departure.
After an eventful three years, Texas great Colt McCoy said the move looks even better for the two rivals during an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. Of course, he had a similar reaction to most everyone else when the news initially came down.
“Oh, my goodness. I was just surprised as everybody else, I think,” McCoy said of learning Texas and OU would be leaving the Big 12.
“Where we are now based on when we got that news that day of going to the SEC, think about the landscape and how everything is changed. I think it’s the best move ever for Texas and Oklahoma.”
Inside Texas and Oklahoma’s journeys to the SEC
When the SEC announced Texas and Oklahoma would join the league, the two programs were in much different places than they are now. In Austin, Steve Sarkisian was entering his first season as Texas head coach and finished with a 5-7 record to miss out on a bowl game. Up in Norman, Riley helped Oklahoma to a 10-2 record before leaving to take over at USC.
Fast-forward to 2024. The Longhorns are coming off their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance after winning one final Big 12 championship and remain red-hot on the recruiting trail under Sarkisian. As for the Sooners – who were in the second year under Brent Venables – they bounced back to win 10 games in 2023 and defeat Texas in the Red River Rivalry game.
Both programs appear set up for success in the SEC, with Texas generating some early buzz as a top team in the league. The move will become official Monday, and the conference is celebrating on both campuses as it welcomes two new members. It also lines up with the SEC’s new media rights deal with Disney, which also kicks in this season as the conference moves exclusively to ESPN and ABC.
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