Houston Chronicle reporting both Texas and Oklahoma have reached out to SEC about joining conference

Submitted by mGrowOld on July 21st, 2021 at 3:52 PM

This story just broke a few minutes ago and the only source is currently paywalled but Houston Chronicle football reporter Brent Zwerneman just tweeted out that both Texas & Oklahoma are looking to join the SEC.  

Now THAT would be a super-conference.  Whoa.

 

Houston Chronicle exclusive: Texas, Oklahoma reach out to SEC about joining conference https://t.co/tw2Qm3yeoj via @houstonchron

— Brent Zwerneman (@BrentZwerneman) July 21, 2021

Wolverine In Exile

July 21st, 2021 at 4:50 PM ^

Not really, re: much harder to win in SEC West... Texas and OU would change the boundaries of the SEC conferences...16 teams in new SEC means

New East (8): South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, UK, Vandy, Auburn, Alabama

New West (8): Ole Miss, Miss St, LSU, Ta&m, Arkansas, Mizzou, Texas, OU

New East gets to rekindle old rivalries like 'Bama - Tennessee, and you get Auburn - Florida every year. New West gets all the old SWC rivalries back, Mizzou & Arkansas get a couple closer road trips, and LSU would love more access into Texas market / recruiting grounds. About the only thing you lose is annual LSU - Bama game. 

Blue@LSU

July 21st, 2021 at 5:30 PM ^

and LSU would love more access into Texas market / recruiting grounds.

Hopefully it would do the opposite. Maybe UT can sell being a member of the SEC to prevent their in-state recruits from going to LSU or, more importantly, OSU. And after the heavy-handed steps that Orgeron took to lock teams out of Louisiana, the last thing I want is for him to be able to move into another fertile recruiting state.  

canzior

July 22nd, 2021 at 9:18 AM ^

I don't know that would realign conferences.  Remember Mizzou is in the SEC East.  My guess is they would add one of school to each division, Maybe Texas west and OU East.  

Not for selfish reasons, I think OU would be a better fit in the B1G.  The western conference powerhouse to OSU in the East. 

thatguycharlie

July 21st, 2021 at 4:51 PM ^

Maybe they split into 4 divisions and then do an expanded SEC football championship?

Group 1 - Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas A&M

Group 2 - Kentucky, Auburn, Ole Miss, Miss St

Group 3 - LSU, Arkansas, Alabama, Vanderbilt

Group 4 - Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee

-or redo the West/East-

West: Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, LSU, Miss St, Ole Miss

East: South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Alabama

 

edit: looks like Twitter user @AllanBell247 beat me to it and made better choices on G2/G3

MGoFoam

July 21st, 2021 at 4:20 PM ^

MGrowOld,

You should be ashamed! You've been on this board for over 10 years. You should know that if a story was broken more than seconds ago, it has already been posted here!! And you should have the sense to have marked it as OT! 

MRunner73

July 21st, 2021 at 4:27 PM ^

The $$ is too much to pass up. Okla & Texas might beware they will face stiffer competition in the SEC and could be less likely to make the playoffs, unless-of course, we get the 8 or 12 team playoff system. This could backfire on these two schools initially.

snarling wolverine

July 21st, 2021 at 4:44 PM ^

Do our mods have the ability to merge threads together?  It seems odd that we've got two active threads discussing this.

(Are we ever going to have a serious revamp of this message board?)

PeacefulBuck

July 21st, 2021 at 4:49 PM ^

I don’t like your guys’ team, but if Tennessee and Kentucky dipped out for the Big Ten because of this then I think I would thoroughly enjoy watching you guys spank them in football and basketball.

btn

July 21st, 2021 at 4:50 PM ^

Wouldn’t be surprised if Big Ten tries to poach Missouri and adds Kansas/K-State and Iowa St

Fits the footprint 

canzior

July 22nd, 2021 at 9:23 AM ^

Cincinnati is not in the AAU (if that still matters.  Iowa State is)

Notre Dame would be a good addition, Iowa State is good now, but historically aren't, so I don't know how much value they add. 

If Delaney were around, he'd reach out to Texas or OU. Both schools I think would be a better fit and just as financially rewarding as moving to the SEC. 

WestPalmBlue

July 21st, 2021 at 4:52 PM ^

SEC might as well take Clemson and Ohio State  and play competitive football all year at the highest level.  I am ok with Michigan being in a second tier conference if it means the conference  champion is not predetermined every year.  Bring in ISU to replace the buckeyes and let's get it on.  Whatever is left of the big 12 joins the Pac 12 and becomes a third tier league.  Fuck it we might as well add UCF and Memphis to the big10 also.

Dix

July 21st, 2021 at 4:54 PM ^

What makes me sad is that for most of my life I didn't stress about the inevitable consolidation into super-conferences because I never thought Michigan would be one of the teams on the outside looking in.  

Michfan777

July 21st, 2021 at 5:04 PM ^

Well you probably didn’t expect the program to fall into the abyss with back to back to back disappointing hires either.

Either way, Michigan would be invited to any potential super conference. Even if the program was pulling 1-11 seasons, there are a lot of eyes watching those 1-11 seasons.

dragonchild

July 21st, 2021 at 4:57 PM ^

What can we do to get Clemson and Ohio State to follow them?

If we’re going to shamelessly desecrate the corpse of college football, might as well go full necrophilia with it.

/ it’s a metaphor, people

los barcos

July 21st, 2021 at 5:02 PM ^

This is all untenable - college football is just a whole different beast from every other college sport that these schools and ADs can't continue to lump football (and, I guess to a lesser extent, basketball) into the same decision making process that they do for say, men's rowing. Let's call it what it is - college football cannot maintain as a college sport without blowing up everything else in it's wake.  

I agree with the people above - I hate the sport now.  Everything that made it good is no longer present. It's time for college football just to officially lean into what it is - a professional sports league - and get out of this charade of being called a college sport.  

MgoHillbilly

July 21st, 2021 at 5:11 PM ^

A lot of poo pooing just because the SEC is clearly superior in the world of football.  You'd think Michigan fans would be accepting of playing second fiddle .

MaizeGoBlue

July 21st, 2021 at 5:16 PM ^

And so it begins...... many predicted this years ago..4 16 team mega conference each with 2 8 team divisions who meet for the title...that will take up 8 of the 12 football playoff berths and then 4 remaining at large...get ready what 2 teams next join the B10?

njvictor

July 21st, 2021 at 5:16 PM ^

Oklahoma and Texas leaving the SEC would be a death sentence for the Big 12. I also don't see the SEC allowing them in from a competitive standpoint

Mpfnfu Ford

July 21st, 2021 at 5:24 PM ^

It's kinda bewildering to me that everyone who follows college sports closely knew that the Big 12/Pac 12 were doomed unless one devoured the other, and instead they've just sat and waited until the SEC took the only Boardwalk/Park Place available. Now the Big 12 is going to be mortally wounded but Pac 12 is still stuck in the same slow death cycle they've been in for over a decade now. 

Mpfnfu Ford

July 21st, 2021 at 5:46 PM ^

Even if those two programs are operating at peak efficiency, it doesn't change that there's not enough people in the country who care about watching Pac 12 football for them to close the revenue gap unless they make a drastic move. 

And instead of making drastic moves, they've seemingly sat on their hands since the last time Texas turned them down.

Blue Vet

July 21st, 2021 at 5:29 PM ^

I've read over the past few years—almost certainly on MGoBlog too—that changes in the college football landscape will lead to 3-4 super conferences.

Epictetus

July 21st, 2021 at 5:55 PM ^

OU, sure. Texas, wtf?

I guess I don't see the need to add a fallen from glory, hasn't won in decades program when the SEC already has UT, Arkansas and Ole Miss.

LSAClassOf2000

July 21st, 2021 at 6:06 PM ^

Well, if that happens, the Big XII is done, I would think, as those are the only two teams in that conference that large enough groups of people actually care about really. I would have to think that moves the Pac-12 a step or two closer to the edge too because it isn't football-ish, if you will, enough as it is for the taste of a national audience.