Mike Gundy getting petty about Texas football, OU leaving for SEC

A topic of discussion that came from and center at Big 12 Media Days this week was any conference realignment that could come about after the news last summer of Texas football and the Oklahoma Sooners leaving for the SEC. The news came about last offseason that Texas and Oklahoma would be leaving the Big 12 for the SEC by 2025.

And it still appears that the Longhorns and Sooners are on course to officially be competing in the SEC by 2024 or 2025.

Yet, there were going to see some other parties around the Big 12 that aren’t thrilled with the move by Texas and Oklahoma to leave for the SEC. One of those parties appears to be the longtime head coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys Mike Gundy.

When he took the stand to answer questions at Big 12 Media Days this week, Gundy really dug into his feelings regarding conference realignment. More specifically, he gave some joking advice to Texas and Oklahoma upon the move to the SEC, indicating this still weighs large on his mind.

Move to SEC for Texas football and OU getting to Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy

Maybe the most telling indication from Big 12 Media Days regarding Gundy’s mindset for this round of conference realignment had to do with his statements on Texas and Oklahoma’s involvement in Big 12 business meetings. Gundy essentially said that he doesn’t feel like Texas and Oklahoma should be allowed in any Big 12 business meetings and/or administrative affairs from here on out.

He was apparently “joking” about that. But it’s hard to believe that he truly feels like Texas and Oklahoma should hold a major stake in business decisions made in the Big 12 in the near future.

All in all, Gundy was clearly shaken by the news of Texas and Oklahoma leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. The problem with that is that he was ignoring the writing on the wall if this move caught him by surprise.

It was only a matter of time before the conference realignment conversation came back up. Texas and Oklahoma leaving for the SEC was only the first domino to fall in a process that could be far from over in this round of realignment. It also appears as if we are moving toward some super conferences spearheaded by the SEC and Big Ten.

The realignment process continued in a big way this summer when the news dropped that the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins will be leaving the PAC-12 for the Big Ten by 2024. And we could continue to see more moves come about in the next couple of years that further the process of super conferences forming around the college sports landscape.

Texas and Oklahoma are likely to play in the Big 12 through either the end of the 2023 or 2024 season. But the possibility still remains that the Longhorns and Sooners get to officially compete in the SEC next year. Various legal processes would have to move along in the blink of an eye, though, for Texas and Oklahoma to officially be competing in the SEC as soon as the next athletic calendar year.