Greg Sankey talks restoring rivalries with Texas, Oklahoma expansion to SEC

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was adamant about conference expansion being able to restore old rivalries with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma.

Texas and Oklahoma’s timeline moved up to 2024 to leave the Big 12 and make the SEC a loaded, 16-team conference. But there’s classic matchups bound to return, such as ones from the old Big 8 Conference.

The first one that came to mind was Texas A&M versus Texas, according to Sankey.

“This may be about the only conference expansion that restores rivalries,” Sankey said on Sirius XM’s SEC Radio. “When you think about obviously Texas A&M and Texas, but the Texas and Arkansas game, which has just a wonderful history. All of them and Missouri were part of the Big Eight together, and an opportunity to restore that tradition … You know the relationship between Georgia and Oklahoma and board regents versus the NCAA.

“It’s kind of a fascinating twist to have in the same league and we’ve all smiled about that. But then there’s just additional, big brand names Oklahoma and Texas being added. You go deeper, we will have the two greatest music cities in America in the SEC between Nashville and Austin, Texas. That’ll be pretty cool.”

Sankey took it a step further. Not only can the football teams reignite the old rivalries, but there’s more in terms of locations.

“If you go see Norman and Oklahoma City, and then you think about being a fan of Texas and Oklahoma traveling to places like Oxford and Athens and Nashville and Lexington and you go down the list, or if you’re a fan of the SEC traveling for games in the Norman area, being able to visit Oklahoma City and Austin, Texas, that’s pretty cool. 

“And then just the prestige of the universities fit so seamlessly. One of our athletics directors, when we were talking about expansion four or five years ago said ‘You know, we need to apply the Just Means More test.’ And I think both Oklahoma and Texas fit that just in a seamless way. And I’m looking forward to working with their coaches, their athletics director (and) presidents.”

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Texas and Oklahoma will play in the Big 12 for one more season. That includes a year with new members BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF.