Texas and Oklahoma have decided to leave for the Southeastern Conference a year early.
The traditional Big 12 powers announced in 2021 that they were joining the SEC, but the timeline was expected to be after the 2024-2025 athletic year at the earliest.
The Longhorns and Sooners will play in the Big 12 in football this season, then effectively move to the SEC. The schools will play Big 12 competition through the 2024 spring schedules, then switch.
“We have always been committed to fulfilling our contractual obligations to the Big 12,” University of Texas President Jay Hartzell said in a statement. “The collegiate athletics landscape has continued to evolve rapidly, and working together to accelerate our exit produced benefits for all parties.”
“The Big 12 has been a respected partner for nearly three decades,” Hartzell continued, “and we look forward to a final season of spirited competition with our friends and rivals.”
For one year, the Big 12 will operate like the Big 14. Houston, Cincinnati, BYU, and Central Florida will join the league this summer. It will return to 12 teams when Texas and Oklahoma depart.
Texas and Oklahoma will pay a grand total of $100 million in penalties as part of the decision to leave early, CBS Sports reported.
“As I have consistently stated, the conference would only agree to an early withdrawal if it was in our best interest for Oklahoma and Texas to depart prior to June 30, 2025,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement.
“By reaching this agreement, we are now able to accelerate our new beginning as a 12-team league and move forward in earnest with our initiatives and future planning,” he continued.
The SEC and Big 10 will be 16-team football conferences beginning in 2024.
“We are continuing our preparation for this membership transition, and we look forward to welcoming the conference’s new members and moving into our future as a 16-team league,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement.