Texas and Oklahoma in “Active Discussions” to Leave the Big 12 Early

Texas and Oklahoma plan to leave the Big 12 on July 1st, 2025. However, that date may change if the conference and the two universities reach an exit fee agreement. 

According to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, there are “active discussions” for Texas and Oklahoma to join the SEC sooner rather than later. Primarily due to financial penalties, the Longhorns and Sooners have publicly stated they would stay in the Big 12 until the current media rights deal expires. Both universities would have to pay an $80 million exit fee if they left in 2025, but that number would only rise if the universities decided to join the SEC a year before. 

This report comes on the heels of the Big 12’s announcement that they have entered into an early negotiation window with ESPN and FOX. Dodd also elaborated on how these two reports could be linked. 

“If Oklahoma and Texas ultimately leave the Big 12 early, Fox would likely have to be made whole financially because of the loss of the two lucrative TV rating winners prior to the end of the deal in 2025,” Dodd wrote. “Fox’s Big 12 valuation is based on those schools staying for the next three seasons. There is also a Big 12 early-exit penalty to consider as breaking the existing grant of rights that would have to be negotiated.”

With Cincinnati, BYU, Houston, and UCF all set to join the Big 12 next summer, Texas and Oklahoma may not want to play these new member schools for two seasons. A clean break would benefit all parties if the two sides can agree on the current grant of rights and TV networks can sufficiently compensate the Big 12 for the Longhorns and Sooners’ early departures.

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