Texas and Oklahoma requested to join the SEC in 2025 when the schools’ media rights agreement with the Big 12 expires. The SEC extended invitations Thursday for the schools to join effective July 1, 2025.

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby released a statement shortly after, writing: “Despite our concerns for the process and for the overall health of college athletics, we will do everything possible to make sure that the student-athletes at both universities enjoy an excellent experience throughout the remaining four years of their participation and competition in the Big 12 Conference.”

Four years? The staring contest is underway. Lawyers are happy knowing how many billable hours are coming their way.

It’s hard to envision UT and OU sticking around a conference they are crippling for four more years. How are they going to recruit players to their schools as lame duck programs in the Big 12?

Do they really want to be the villains of a league for that long? Our prediction remains the same that both schools figure out a way to be playing in the SEC in 2022.

But, according to one source, the idea of UT and OU playing through their grant-of-rights agreement for the next four years is not too far-fetched given the financial implications.

Neither school would want to pay an early exit fee in the $80 million range. Texas could likely afford it, a source said, while it would be more of an issue for Oklahoma.

That’s why UT and OU “absolutely” could play in the Big 12 beyond this season even though it would seem beneficial for both to part ways earlier than that.

All of this realignment drama has united the eight remaining teams in the Big 12. They have zero interest in letting UT and OU walk early for a reduced rate.

And, as it became clear on Wednesday night, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and the eight schools have zero interest in letting ESPN out of its contract early. Bowlsby believes ESPN is behind the latest realignment in college sports, sending a cease and desist letter to the network this week.

ESPN has denied those allegations.

At the end of the day, this is becoming as messy of a breakup as you could imagine. Is it really going to take four years to reach finality?

It just might.

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