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Greg Sankey talks OU-Texas, TV times, Brett Yormark

headshotby:George Stoia•10/09/23•

GeorgeStoia

Greg Sankey
(© Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports)

For SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, the Red River Rivalry is a perfect fit for the SEC. 

When the SEC added OU and Texas, Sankey looked forward to attending the game. He had always admired it from afar. And on Saturday, he got to witness one of the greatest games in Cotton Bowl history, which will soon be a part of his conference. 

“I’m a fan of college football,” said Sankey, addressing the media before the game. “So, I’ve wanted to be here after the announcement. I remember that last year at this time, we were still making preparations for a 2025 season entry… I think it’s consistent with what we experience on a weekly basis,

“The intensity, walking in hearing the fans actually being friendly toward each other but clearly rivals is something familiar. I’m really excited because there’s this almost seamless integration that’s nearly upon us with moving from 14 to 16 (teams).”

Sankey also said he doesn’t want to see the game moved, similar to Florida-Georgia, which is played annually at a neutral site in Jacksonville. 

“We have a tradition around Florida-Georgia — that will be part of OU-Texas,” Sankey said. “That’s something that’s done with our television partners… The state fair dynamic is obviously a healthy environment. That’s on our minds as well.”

Future TV times 

Sankey was also asked if the game would remain at 11 a.m., which its been played at since 2017 when it was played at 2:30 p.m. He said that is in discussion and it’s likely it will remain at either 11 and 2:30.

“We’ve talked with both of the schools and we’ve talked with TV,” Sankey said. “That’s a decision that when we move to ABC with Disney fully, those announcements will start to be made in May and June.”

Because of the SEC’s new TV deal with ESPN, Sankey also said TV times for games will be announced much sooner. There’s is a possibility games could be flexed from afternoon to evening, but primarily, fans and teams will know when they’re playing in the summer before the season. 

“We will announce all of our early games, so noon eastern kickoffs by mid-June,” Sankey said. “So you’ll know in June if your team is going to kickoff early in November, so you’ll be able to make plans. That’s healthy. Then we’ll have those other two windows — afternoon and evening. Some of those will be picked for flex, some will stay. So in the summer time, our teams will know half of their kickoff times, specifically. And the rest will be maybe a few hours flipped.” 

“We’re still going to have early kicks, I want to be clear about that. But people will know earlier.”

Relationship with Brett Yormark

Lastly, Sankey was asked about his relationship with Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, who didn’t attend the last Red River Rivalry in the conference. Sankey said he received Yormark’s blessing to attend the game. 

“I think I mentioned it once before that at some point I’d attend,” Sankey said. “It was a really cordial conversation. Brett and I have a very healthy relationship. I was in New York a couple weeks ago and ate at his wife’s family’s restaurant two nights. He helped me out there. So I think Brett’s been a full-on gentleman with me. I wanted to be respectful in being here and I know he wants to be respectful as well.”

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