Texas, Oklahoma and the SEC Expansion Talk That Could Reshape College Sports

Sports Illustrated ^ | Pat Forde

[C19fan]

During a conversation in May, one of the people I respect and trust most in college athletics dropped this on me, unsolicited: “Keep an eye on Texas and Oklahoma.” The person suspected that the two traditional power programs in the Big 12 were again getting the wandering eye, a decade after nearly leaving that league in ruins and radically changing the national landscape.

[OKSooner]

Forgive me for talking about the deceased in this way, but it's a matter of public record that this can all be laid at the feet of former Oklahoma Athletic Director Donnie Duncan, who came running to the rescue of all those schools - well, most of them, anyway - that were in very serious trouble with the NCAA back in the final days of the Southwest Conference. The result was "a new conference" with himself as Director of Football Operations.

Donnie also made the singular worst head coaching decision in the history of OU and possibly in the history of the entire sport of college football, quite frankly.

Don't want to say too much about situations involving "anybody else" though so let's just leave it at that...

[where's_the_Outrage?]

I think it would be kind of stupid for UT or OK join the SEC, they would at least have a chance in making the CFP where they are now, in the SEC they would have to face Bama, GA, and FL to get in.

[Red Badger]

Some colleges and universities shouldn’t even have a football ‘program’...........................

[dfwgator]

In fact if you want to see the future of college football, look at Professional Soccer in England since the Premier League.

Basically 20 clubs have all the money, and now many of the other clubs are going under, to the point where, whereas once there were hundreds of professional clubs in England, there will eventually be under 50.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Good idea.

Baseball runs its own farm system. Let the NFL do the same.

In baseball, top high school prospects usually don’t go to college, but go right into the minor leagues. Let football and the NBA do the same, instead of seeing top players go to college. And then the NFL amd NBA would pay for their own player development, as major League baseball does.

[OKSooner]

That is to say, “The worst head coaching HIRING decision”, just to be clear.

[WKUHilltopper]

College amateur sports is dead...just bury it already.

[WASCWatch]

Texas is getting crushed in the recruiting wars. That is not going to change. Texas A&M is more attractive to top Texas HS players because they play in the SEC.

The best chances for Texas and Oklahoma to get into the playoffs is to stay just where they are in the Big 12.

[OKSooner]

What you just said.

[OrangeHoof]

Don’t understand why Texas would want to join the SEC when they can’t even win the Big 12? The only way this works is if Alabama and Auburn switch to the East Division so it winds up:

SEC East: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

SEC West: Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, Mississippi St., Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas, Texas A&M

Still a very daunting schedule when you add in a conference championship game and then an 8 or 16-team playoff.

[newzjunkey]

I’ve felt that way for decades

[DennisR]

I am done with it all. Only liked college sports. No more.

[JonPreston]

UT has it’s own TV station. Will they share the $$$ it generates with fellow SEC members?

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Change colleges to Flag Football.

[shanover]

The glory days of college football are over. Nothing lasts forever. Money,corruption,government and liberalism have all rotted the sport.

[Texas resident]

t.u. has always gotten the lion’s share of revenue and has never shared before, so the answer is no.

UT is the University of Tennessee.

[OrangeHoof]

The dealbreaker every other time was the Longhorn Network (LHN, owned by ESPN/Disney). That contract does not run out until 2031 and it seems unlikely Texas will let go of it before then unless they are bought off.

Some are claiming this a master stroke to take the spotlight off A&M during their media day. I kinda think the Pac-12 is a better fit for Texas and Oklahoma, particularly given Austin’s fascination with everything Californian.

[Fiji Hill]

When will SEC stop meaning “Southeast”?

Are Missouri and Texas A & M in the Southeast?

[dfwgator]

Changing the subject, this is some sad news

Bobby Bowden ‘at peace’ after being diagnosed with terminal medical condition

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/31856730/bobby-bowden-peace-being-diagnosed-terminal-medical-condition

Bowden is one of the classiest guys who ever coached the game. I took great joy whenever we beat him, but he was a solid Christian man, and a patriot.

[Fiji Hill]

You’d still have the Pac-10. Er, Pac-12 I mean. Maybe the Pac-15 someday.

We should go back to being the Pac 8. The colleges that are not from Pacific Coast states should split off and form their own league.