Top 12 officials meet to discuss possible Oklahoma and Texas departures to SEC

As Big 12 officials seek answers from Oklahoma and Texas on their possible departures to the SEC, the league made it clear on Thursday that it expects its flagship programs to meet conference statutes and television contracts that have been signed.

Big 12 athletic directors and their college presidents and chancellors held a video conference Thursday night to discuss possible moves. OU and Texas were both invited to the meeting but declined to participate in the call, sources said.

In a statement provided to ESPN, the Big 12 said: “It is recognized that institutions may act in their own best interests, but members are expected to adhere to the rules of the Conference and the application of the agreements. for granting rights. “

Big 12 rules require that any retiring member give the league at least 18 months notice. There are also high exit fees – departing schools must pay the league a “pledge redemption fee”, which is an amount equal to the sum of any distributions that would otherwise be paid to the school over the years. last two years of membership. Leaving schools, according to the statutes, “will be deemed to have agreed to forgo all distributions of any kind that would otherwise have been made to the withdrawing member during the interim period” between the date of notification and the effective departure date.

Last year, the Big 12 handed out about $ 38 million to its members, ranking third in the Power 5 conferences, so Texas and Oklahoma are each owed about $ 76 million.

It’s unclear whether the two schools are aware of the repercussions, and they both declined to comment beyond statements released Wednesday. A source said the Big 12 also discussed the possibility of finding more income for Texas and the OU if their motivation to quit was motivated by money.

OU and Texas also signed a Big 12 rights licensing agreement, in which they granted their first and second level media rights for football and men’s basketball to the conference until June 30, 2025. This means that the Big 12 would still own the schools’ media rights for those sports – even if they are no longer members – until the agreement expires.

During Thursday’s meeting, conference officials also touched on discussions of what the Big 12 might do if OU and Texas leave, and a source said that included determining if there was other Power 5 programs that might want to join, or if schools like UCF, Houston, Cincinnati, or BYU might make good additions. There was some appetite in the meeting to potentially add two teams even if OU and Texas decide to stay.

However, neither of these conversations gained popularity, as the next step is to determine OU and Texas’ intentions – and their motivation.

A source said the next 48 hours will be key to responding to them.

“We need answers as soon as possible,” said a source, “and we have no answers at this time.”

In the statement provided to ESPN following the meeting, the Big 12 said that “the eight members are very keen to keep the current roster, which has proven that they can compete at the highest level.

“This is a time of dramatic change within intercollegiate athletics that presents both opportunities and challenges, and the Big 12 Conference looks forward to continuing to play a major role in its evolution.”