Greg Sankey explains how Oklahoma's commitment to culture embraces SEC standards

Oklahoma traded out its Big 12 logo for an SEC one on Monday, officially joining the Southeastern Conference alongside Texas.

The SEC’s slogan, ‘It just means more,’ is one that most fans of intercollegiate sports are familiar with. Based on the experiences that conference commissioner Greg Sankey has had with various OU fans, he’s realized that he’s found that the university’s reach spans far and wide.

“In the last few weeks knowing the anticipation of this date, I’ve had fans approach me and talk about their excitement of our expansion and the embrace there,” Sankey said live on the Paul Finebaum Show in Norman. “When I talk to NFL players, who are back on our campuses, they talk about coming home. When we introduced the graduate patch with the SEC logo, I had outreach via email and social media and letters were people who are students, graduates, alum said ‘Hey, can I like buy one of those for myself?’ … That’s part of the culture that we try to create.

“That’s part of the embrace, and that’s part of where the fan base, the university’s commitment, the athletics achievements, makes this one of the right moves along with the addition of the University of Texas as we look to the future.”

OU president Joseph Harroz Jr. explained that joining the SEC allows Oklahoma, through sport, to further showcase the “life-changing opportunities that exist,” on campus in Norman. “It allows you to be a part of something bigger than yourself,” Harroz Jr. said.

Harroz Jr. spoke to the divisiveness that comes with political parties that bleeds into everyday life. When it comes to intercollegiate sports, it brings everyone together under one banner.

“This is both familiar and engaging,” Harroz Jr. said. “So when you look at how do we accomplish our mission of education, teaching research service, intercollegiate athletics at the University of Oklahoma is foundational to that because it connects all of us, brings us together.”

Now, the fanbase, and more importantly those inside the program are gearing up to see the Sooners’ inaugural SEC season.

Many are excited to see how the Sooners’ football program will fare during its first season in the SEC, as a whole new set of teams will put both Oklahoma and Texas to the test right away. The Sooners have matchups against Tennessee — their SEC opener during Week 3 — not to mention matchups against the Longhorns, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Alabama, Missouri and LSU.