SEC to meet on Thursday to discuss adding Oklahoma Sooners, Texas Longhorns

SEC presidents and chancellors have scheduled a meeting for Thursday, where they will discuss the expansion and whether to add Oklahoma and Texas to what would be the first college football super-conference. of 16 teams, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN.

The Longhorns and Sooners could officially ask the SEC to consider them as members as early as this week, another source said. A three-quarters majority vote of SEC presidents and chancellors – 11 out of 14 – would be required for the invitations to be extended. Sources previously told ESPN that it was believed enough SEC schools would vote to add the two new members.

A source told ESPN on Tuesday morning that he was not sure the league presidents and chancellors would vote on Thursday because there was still a lot of work to be done in terms of existing television contracts.

“There is a lot to do in a short period of time to get to a vote by Thursday,” the source said.

On Monday, Oklahoma and Texas said in a joint statement released by the two schools that they had officially informed the Big 12 that they would not be renewing their media rights grants after they expire in 2025.

It’s still unclear when the Longhorns and Sooners plan to start competing in the SEC, or how much resistance they will receive from the eight remaining Big 12 schools. Under the Big 12 rules, schools would be required to give the league 18 months notice of their departure.

Texas and Oklahoma could either stay until June 30, 2025, when the current Big 12 media rights agreements expire; pay a fine of at least $ 75 million to $ 80 million to break this agreement; or hope that the Big 12 dissolves before the rights contract expires.

A source said the Longhorns and Sooners “have a lot of legal work to do before they can just join us.”

In a video message to Iowa State fans and alumni on Monday, athletic director Jamie Pollard said he hopes Oklahoma and Texas will honor their existing rights grant agreement with the Big 12.

“If that stays the case, we know that for the next four years the Big 12 is going to remain viable, and the Big 12 is going to continue to win national championships and be competitive in the NCAA championships, and the 10 members will go continue to receive their full media shares, ”Pollard said.“ This allows us to spend the next four years assessing the landscape and understanding what is or is not changing in varsity athletics. I know this gives us the best possible opportunity to position Iowa State University for the future. “

Pollard said now is not the time for Iowa State fans to panic.

“Our industry is changing,” he said, “and frankly, every institution should assess where it is and what things will look like as this landscape continues to change, from the decision of the Supreme Court [on amateurism] at the NIL at the NCAA and College Football Playoff. “

Oklahoma State President Kayse Shrum said Monday that Oklahoma’s intentions to explore exit from the Big 12 are “the result of months of planning with the SEC” and a “blatant violation” of the statutes of the conference.

Shrum made the comments in a statement and in a series of tweets. In the statement, she called Oklahoma’s actions “strategic” and “deliberate.”

“It is difficult to understand how an Oklahoma institution of higher education would follow the University of Texas to the detriment of the state of Oklahoma,” added Shrum, who took the presidency on July 1.

The violation claim refers to section 3.2 of the Big 12 statutes, which refers to third parties attempting to induce a member institution to leave. It requires schools to notify the conference no later than 12 hours later and to “immediately and unconditionally reject this offer in a form and manner reasonably acceptable to the Commissioner”.

Sports Illustrated first reported details of the SEC presidents and chancellors meeting.

Dave Wilson of ESPN contributed to this report.