The question of when OU will actually join the SEC has vexed us all for more than a year. Now we have clarity. A new agreement will send the Sooners to their new conference next year.
The 2023 athletic season will be OU’s last in the Big XII Conference. The same is true for Texas. Both schools are moving to the SEC, and the agreement announced Thursday means that will happen one year early. And it’s going to cost them. ESPN reportsthe two schools will pay the Big XII $100 million to join the SEC early. That’s subject to approval by the Board of Regents, and there are offsets to ease the financial burden.
Statement from @SEC Commissioner @GregSankey on Oklahoma and Texas membership transition: pic.twitter.com/qZZI6YaRJp
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) February 10, 2023
In a statement, OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said the deal gives OU “command of its own future” and that he’s “eager to contribute OU’s iconic traditions and competitiveness to the SEC.”
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