July 1, 2024, will be a day to remember the history and potentially the moment at which things were never the same in college athletics.
Today, Oklahoma and Texas leave the Big 12 to join the SEC, and their exits bring a seismic shift to the entire landscape of college football.
When the SEC went out and grabbed the Sooners and Longhorns, the Big Ten was forced to react and added UCLA and USC in an act of consternation. Eventually, the Pac-12 would dissolve, sending Washington and Oregon to the Big Ten, the four corner schools to the Big 12, and Cal and Stanford to the ACC.
It all started back in 2021, though, when OU and UT became the first two dominoes to fall. Now, as the day has officially come, we see the programs make the move official and are left to wonder what happens next.
In a surreal moment, posts from each of the schools’ social media teams put the official stamp on the move, as we get the cinematic representation of the Sooners and Longhorns exiting the Big 12 — A league that they both served as founding members of back in 1996.
Texas’ social media team shared this video right at midnight, as the move to the SEC became official.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s announcement was posted around 8:00 a.m. on the morning of their move.
The Sooners and Longhorns combined for 18 of the 28 Big 12 titles while members of the conference, with Oklahoma leading all conference members with 14 Big 12 Championships.
Now, with Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah all joining the league, half of the Big 12’s membership will be either in their first or second years with the conference.
The addition of eight schools hardly offsets the loss of these two college football giants, but the future of the Big 12 appears bright nonetheless.
