New on Sports Illustrated: SEC Accepts Texas, Oklahoma Into Conference

-

The SEC has extended a membership invitation to Texas and Oklahoma following a conference vote on Thursday.

The SEC has accepted Texas and Oklahoma into the conference following a vote on Thursday, according to the SEC.

According to Sports illustrated's Ross Dellenger, the invitation—for now—is to allow Texas and Oklahoma to begin play in 2025 after they fulfill their contractual requirements with the Big 12. 

Thursday’s vote comes one week after reports emerged regarding Texas and Oklahoma’s potential exodus from the Big 12. The two schools sent formal applications to the SEC on Tuesday, further accelerating their conference move.

"Today's unanimous vote is both a testament to the SEC's longstanding spirit of unity and mutual cooperation, as well as a recognition of the outstanding legacies of academic and athletic excellence established by the Universities of Oklahoma and Texas," said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey in a statement. "I greatly appreciate the collective efforts of our Presidents and Chancellors in considering and acting upon each school's membership interest."

The Big 12’s grant of media rights expires after the 2025 season, though Texas and Oklahoma could arrive in the SEC earlier given the state of the Big 12. The conference could dissolve as schools join other leagues, or the Big 12 could add replacement schools for Texas and Oklahoma. 

Thursday marks the second major realignment of the Big 12 over the last decade. Texas A&M and Missouri previously left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2011, while Nebraska went to the Big Ten and Colorado left for the Pac-12. Oklahoma has won 14 of 27 Big 12 football titles, including each of the last six.

The SEC has sent three schools to the College Football Playoff since 2014. Alabama is a three-time champion in the Playoff era, while LSU won the national title in 2019. Oklahoma is the only Big 12 school to reach the College Football Playoff.

More College Football Coverage:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New on Sports Illustrated: The Patriots’ Post-Brady Era Begins Now

-
Image
In Mac Jones, Bill Belichick drafted a Round 1 quarterback for the first time ever—and looks to usher in a return to dominance. Of course the first time Bill Belichick drafts a first-round quarterback, it’s one for whom he could get an unvarnished scouting report from good buddy Nick Saban —and without even having to do any draft-day maneuvering. Now, the post-Tom Brady era in New England really begins. The Patriots treated 2020 as something of a gap year, with a league-high eight opt-outs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a starting quarterback, Cam Newton, who didn't sign with the team until June. They were, for the first time in two decades, mediocre, but that 7–9 record bought them the ticket to a fresh start: the No. 15 pick, which they used Thursday night on Alabama QB Mac Jones. The oft-cited statistic that Belichick had never drafted a QB higher than pick No. 62—used on Jimmy Garoppolo in 2014—was inherently flawed, given that Belichick had Brady as a starter for 19 of
Read more

New on Sports Illustrated: NBA Draft Big Board 3.0: Top 80 Prospect Rankings

-
Image
Ranking the top 80 players in the 2021 NBA draft with the NCAA tournament in the rearview. View the original article to see embedded media. With three months until draft night and the NBA’s regular season winding down , the league at large has begun shifting full focus to the off-season. Players have until May 30 to declare as early entrants for the draft, after which point the predraft process will open up in full, leading up to the combine and lottery at the end of June . Our Big Board is long overdue for an update, and fully expanded out to 80 prospects as we all attempt to make sense of the big picture moving forward. As usual, the Big Board is primarily based on my personal evaluations from both live viewings and on film, in many cases dating back several years. The rankings also incorporate feedback and opinions I glean from NBA executives, scouts, and others around the industry. This is not a mock draft, and team fit is not considered, but it is also intended to be somewhat
Read more

New on Sports Illustrated: NCAA Board of Governors Unanimously Votes to Extend Mark Emmert’s Contract

-
Despite recent controversy, the NCAA Board of Governors voted unanimously to extend Mark Emmert's contract through 2025. The NCAA Board of Governors unanimously voted to extend president Mark Emmert's contract through Dec. 31, 2025. The news was announced Tuesday as a one-line news item buried within a larger update after the board's quarterly meeting. He's the fifth president in NCAA history and has been in the role since 2010. Emmert previously held high-ranking roles at Washington, LSU, Connecticut and Montana State. His base salary is reportedly $2.7 million.  Within the announcement, the Board reaffirmed its commitment to updating name, image and likeness rules. Dellenger: Inside the Hidden Industry of Name, Image and Likeness and the Changing World for College Athletes Emmert came under fire after disparities were shown between the men's and women's college basketball tournaments this year, specifically the weight room. Prior to the public backlash,
Read more