In July, it was reported that the SEC had invited Texas and Oklahoma to join the conference as early as 2025. This move will change a lot of things in college football.
First and foremost, the Big 12 will lose two of its founding members. Texas and Oklahoma were the two biggest names in the conference. The two schools combined for 17 conference championships in football since the conference was founded in 1996. They also have each won more football national championships than the other eight schools combined.
Now the question is, can the Big 12 survive after losing these two teams? The answer will not be clear until this move officially happens. However, right now, it is not looking good for the Big 12.
For the SEC, the addition of these two teams may turn it into a “superconference.” The SEC already has some of the biggest names in college football including, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and a few others. Now with two more big names joining, it could turn the SEC into a conference that can’t be matched by anyone.
What about the rest of college football? How does this move affect the conferences outside of the SEC and Big 12? Firstly, if the Big 12 does not survive, the other conferences could have some of the other schools join them. If that does happen, the landscape of college football changes completely.
What about the college football playoff? If the number of teams does indeed increase, the playoffs could be filled with SEC schools. The argument could be that a team with two or three losses in this conference has a better resume than a Group of Five team with one loss. There could be seasons where half of the teams are from the SEC.
What about the teams that are moving to the SEC? For Oklahoma, it gives them a chance to see how they measure up to the other teams in the conference. Texas, meanwhile, may have a better chance to get back to where they were not too long ago.
Oklahoma has made it to the playoffs four times. However, they have not won a game. In fact, in three of those games, they were beaten by SEC teams. In the 2018 semifinal they took Georgia to overtime. When the Sooners make the move, they will have more opportunities to show that they could compete with some of the SEC’s best.
Texas, meanwhile, has only won ten games in a season once since getting to the National Championship in 2009. Charlie Strong never finished with a winning record, and Tom Herman couldn’t continue the momentum after getting to the Sugar Bowl. The SEC move is risky for the Longhorns, however, it may pay off.
Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC is still a few years away from happening. However, once the move happens, college football will never be the same.
