Texas, Oklahoma in Negotiations to Leave for SEC Early, per Report

The Massive 12’s grant of rights initially was anticipated to maintain Texas and Oklahoma within the league till 2025, when they’re set to depart for the SEC. Nevertheless, in accordance with new reviews, there’s actual momentum in the direction of the 2 sides reaching an settlement that might see the 2 colleges departing the convention a yr early.

The Motion Community first reported that the 2 colleges are engaged in discussions with the Massive 12 about an early transfer. The Athletic quotes an unnamed Massive 12 college official as saying the 2 sides are “positively engaged on it,” with one other supply saying that “it’s possible they’re leaving early.” As well as, two Massive 12 athletic administrators “expressed confidence a deal can be reached,” per the report.

An early bounce to the SEC for 2024 would line up with quite a lot of different vital modifications coming to school soccer, together with the SEC’s gargantuan new ESPN deal, School Soccer Playoff growth to 12 groups and the Massive Ten’s personal growth to 16 groups with the additions of USC and UCLA.  

The Massive 12’s grant of rights would trigger any departing member to surrender remaining two years of league income—practically $43 million per college for the league in 2021–22. Via the negotiations, the 2 sides will possible attempt to discover a center floor, permitting Texas and Oklahoma to hitch their new convention whereas giving the colleges they go away behind some vital compensation, sufficient to “cancel out a spot that exists” for the remaining applications, a supply for The Athletic stated within the report.

A call on a 2024 transfer for the Sooners and Longhorns should be reached quickly. Because the report factors out, Massive 12 bylaws say that members should give 18-month discover of a departure from the league. For the colleges to depart in time for the ’24 soccer season, that deadline comes on Dec. 31, just some weeks from now.