The reported addition of Oklahoma and Texas to the Southeastern Conference came together rather quickly. Just days after we all learned of their interest, the SEC formally invited the duo to the premier conference in the college football landscape.
An official announcement has been made, with a target start date of 2025. As everyone knows by now, after the lawyers get involved, Texas and Oklahoma will more than likely be members by 2022.
So the SEC now sits with 16 teams, and a complete restructuring how how the conference operates is likely on the horizon.
On Friday, Tennessee leadership commented on the collosal move.
“From a proud charter member of the Southeastern Conference, and the city in which the league was founded, the University of Tennessee welcomes Oklahoma and Texas to the most powerful and competitive conference in intercollegiate athletics,” Tennessee AD Danny White said. “This is an exciting time for all SEC fans as we develop new rivalries in the years to come, expand our league’s footprint and continue to elevate its unrivaled student-athlete experience.”
It remains to be seen if the SEC will keep the two division approach, or come up with a new four-team pod system. It also remains to be seen if the SEC is actually done adding teams, with rumors already suggesting Florida State and Clemson could be next.
“I am pleased to welcome the Universities of Oklahoma and Texas to the Southeastern Conference,” said Chancellor Donde Plowman. “The SEC is special – with fierce competition at the highest levels of college athletics, and a team spirit when it comes to collaborating in support of our students and student-athletes. Including universities of this caliber on our SEC team will push all of us to be better.”
Another layer to this is the basketball side of things, which will get a huge shot in the arm. Chris Beard and Texas join the fray, along with Porter Moser at Oklahoma. We’ve already seen a big uptick in competition in SEC basketball, and now the field gets even tougher after two really strong hires this offseason by both schools.
Expect more news on this subject as the year continues, with plenty of details to be ironed out.
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