Another day, another statement from Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby.

Texas and Oklahoma formally applied for membership into the Southeastern Conference on Tuesday, another step toward their departure from the Big 12. UT and OU informed the Big 12 on Monday that they would not be renewing their grant-of-rights media agreements when they expire in June 2025.

“The events of recent days have verified that the two schools have been contemplating and planning for the transition for months and this formal application is the culmination of those processes,” Bowlsby said. “We are unwavering in the belief that the Big 12 provides an outstanding platform for its members’ athletic and academic success. We will face the challenges head-on, and have confidence that the Big 12 will continue to be a vibrant and successful entity in the near term and into the foreseeable future.”

Whether the remaining eight schools in the conference remain fully bought-in remains to be seen. For now, every school is saying the right things but UT and OU were the flagship schools of the conference.

Their departures are a crippling, possibly fatal, blow to the rest of the league. The remaining teams are exploring options as to whether they may be able to land in another power conference whether it’s the Pac-12, Big Ten or ACC.

The remaining Big 12 schools have discussed merging with the Pac-12 and forming some sort of scheduling alliance that could strengthen both leagues. Individual schools are also talking about coming together as a package deal. For instance, TCU has talked with Texas Tech, Baylor and Oklahoma State as a possible foursome that could be an attractive asset for the Pac-12 in terms of getting into the state of Texas and central time zone.

Time will tell how everything plays out but the eight schools are certainly hanging in the wind for now.

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