College Football Realignment: Texas, Oklahoma Ask To Join SEC, Leave Big 12

Two of the nation’s top college football programs are looking to join the sport’s best conference. as Oklahoma and Texas have officially applied to become part of the Southeastern Conference.

The Big 12 schools sent a formal request to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey Tuesday morning, asking to be granted “invitations for membership” starting on July 1, 2025.

"We believe that there would be mutual benefit to the Universities on the one hand, and the SEC on the other hand, for the Universities to become members of the SEC," Texas president Jay Hartzell and Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz Jr. said in the request.

Oklahoma and Texas need approval from 11 of the 14 SEC schools in order to join the conference. The SEC presidents and chancellors will meet Thursday to consider the proposal, according to ESPN. Both schools are expected to be granted membership into the SEC begining in the 2025-26 sports calendar.

"While the SEC has not proactively sought new members, we will pursue significant change when there is a clear consensus among our members that such actions will further enrich the experiences of our student-athletes and lead to greater academic and athletic achievement across our campuses," Sankey said in a statement. "The Presidents and Chancellors of the SEC, in their capacity as the conference's Chief Executive Officers, will consider these requests in the near future."

Oklahoma and Texas have been working on leaving the Big 12 for the SEC for at least six months, according to Kirk Bohls of the Austin American Statesman. If approved, the SEC will expands to 16 schools, leaving the Big 12 with just eight.

Oklahoma finished second in the 2020 Big 12 football standings. The Sooners were defeated in the College Football Playoff semifinals in each of the previous three seasons.

Texas was fourth in last year’s Big 12 standings. It’s been over a decade since the Longhorns were national championship contenders, but they have won a bowl game in four straight years.

Texas last won the national title in 2005. Since 2006, 11 of the 15 national champions have come from the SEC.