Oklahoma and Texas now can officially leave the Big 12 and join the SEC on July 1, 2024.
The Sooners’ planned exit from the Big 12 was approved by the University of Oklahoma board of regents on Friday. Oklahoma’s approval came after the University of Texas board of regents signed all obligatory measures to allow the Longhorns entry to the SEC earlier this week.
Joe Castiglione, the Sooners athletic director, is excited about Oklahoma’s future in the SEC. However, he said he wants the program to finish its last year in the Big 12 in strong fashion with the notion of competing for a conference championship.
“We have a year of competing there and competing for Big 12 championships before we move on to the SEC, so we want to continue to be very respectful, very positive and a contributing member of the Big 12,” Castiglione said, per the Associated Press. “But obviously, that moves us to do the right things to make sure we’re planning every aspect of our transition next year from this summer.”
Oklahoma and Texas will spend their final Big 12 seasons in playing in a revitalized 14-member conference with four newcomers: BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF.
