Brett Yormark reaffirms Texas, Oklahoma remaining in Big 12 through 2025

Texas and Oklahoma will remain in the Big 12 through the 2025 season before moving to the SEC, according to Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark.

However, the commissioner could be open to discussing an earlier exit for both schools amid a lot of college football realignment. Those talks are reportedly happening, according to SI’s Ross Dellenger.

The SEC made the landmark decision to add Texas and Oklahoma in the first domino of college football realignment over the last calendar year-plus. The Big Ten followed up the big move with the additions of USC and UCLA from the Pac-12.

However, USC and UCLA won’t hit the Big Ten until the 2024 season, albeit still earlier than Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC.

The Big 12 meanwhile acted quickly and added four new schools starting next season, prior to the departures of Texas and Oklahoma. The conference added Houston, UCF, Cincinnati and BYU to the members beginning next school year, pushing the conference to 14 members in the meantime, until the Longhorns and Sooners depart.

Back in December, a report from Brett McMurphy suggested it was a real possibility both Texas and Oklahoma could play in the SEC as early as the 2024 season.

In a separate report from The Athletic, which also hinted at an earlier exit, it stated it is likely that both make an early exit.

“They’re definitely engaged on it and moving towards something where they will leave after next season,” one source was quoted as saying in The Athletic.

Additionally, at a recent league meeting, Chris Del Conte and Joe Castiglione, the athletic directors for Texas and Oklahoma, respectively, were recused. During the time they were recused, the rest of the administrators reportedly got on mostly the same page about the Sooners and Longhorns leaving early.

With the College Football Playoff expanding for the 2024 season to a 12-team format, the timing could benefit both Texas and Oklahoma. While of course winning the Big 12 in the meantime with one or zero losses could get either school into the dance, a higher quality schedule could ultimately aid them when moving to the SEC.

Based on the history of the playoff, the SEC is more represented. By adding Texas and Oklahoma, both the Longhorns and Sooners could end up winning the conference at some point or be one of the wild card teams.

Like the Big Ten, there are going to be more teams that have great chances to get into the bracket from select conferences. Think of it as an arms race between the SEC and Big Ten.