Prepare your farewells to the Big 12 as you know it.
According to CBS Sports, Big 12 powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma are each expected to declare their intention to leave the conference in favor of the SEC in as soon as 24-48 hours.
“I’m not saying it’s 100%, but it’s close to it in terms of being a done deal,” a Big 12 source told the outlet on Friday.
It remains unclear when the Longhorns and Sooners would join the SEC to form a 16-team super-conference unlike anything college sports has seen. Should the programs make their SEC debut this season, each could owe the Big 12 up to $80 million in penalties for prematurely leaving the current TV rights contract, which expires in 2025.
While 11 of the current 14 SEC programs would need to vote in favor of adding Texas and Oklahoma to the conference, obtaining the necessary votes does not appear to be an issue, Yahoo Sports reported on Friday.
At SEC Media Days on Wednesday, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey did not address the speculation. Oklahoma and Texas, too, have been silent, except for one Oklahoma spokesperson, who maintained in a statement that, “The college athletics landscape is shifting constantly. We don’t address every anonymous rumor.”
It’s difficult to underscore the potential fallout for the Big 12, should Texas and Oklahoma depart. The pair count for the conference’s two largest national brands, while Oklahoma has won the last six conference championships in football. The anticipated moves to the SEC could leave the Big 12 in shambles.
This wouldn’t be the first time that the Big 12 has undergone extensive conference realignment. The reformed Big 12 debuted in 1996, after the former Big Eight added four teams from the now-defunct Southwest Conference. From 2010-2011, the conference underwent another wave of change, losing Colorado, Nebraska and Texas A&M while incorporating West Virginia and TCU. Without Texas and Oklahoma, there would only be eight teams in the conference.