Big 12 TV deal talks could let Texas football, OU leave for SEC early
There is more news coming out this week concerning the potential early departure of Texas football and the Oklahoma Sooners from the Big 12 to the greener pastures of the SEC. According to a report from Pete Thamel of ESPN, Fox and ESPN are opening discussions early with the Big 12 for the next TV contract for the conference.
What makes the timing of this development significant is threefold.
First off, the original timeline for the Big 12 to enter into negotiations for the conference’s TV deal was set to come in 2024. This now means that ESPN and Fox are agreeing to enter negotiations for a new TV deal with the Big 12 roughly a year and a half early.
The second reason why the timing of this development is big for the TV networks and the Big 12 is the move for new commissioner Brett Yormark and this conference to get a leg up on the PAC-12. If the Big 12 is able to sign a more advantageous deal before the PAC-12 does, that will give them the edge in this new world of conference realignment.
And the third reason why this is so significant has to do more with the ability of the Longhorns and Sooners to leave the Big 12 for the SEC before the original deadline of 2025. If ESPN is able to get something worked out with the Big 12 for a new rights deal even before next summer, that opens the door for Texas and Oklahoma to leave for the SEC in 2023 or 2024.
Brett Yormark could be opening the door for Texas football and OU to leave the Big 12 early for the SEC
Morning Brew @Horns247: Early negotiations between the #Big12 and its TV partners (ESPN and FOX) could impact the #SEC departure date for #Texas and #Oklahoma, a source close to the situation tells Horns247.https://t.co/W8yYck4CNR.
— Chip Brown (@ChipBrown247) August 31, 2022
Granted, setting the timeline for Texas and Oklahoma to make it to the SEC by next fall would be a dramatic shift and one that would take a lot of change to current athletic schedules, especially for football.
Sources: The Big 12 and its TV partners, Fox and ESPN, have agreed to enter early contract discussions about the league’s next television deal. The conversations will begin soon and come a year-and-a-half before the contract’s exclusive negotiation window. https://t.co/7MTWf2KPwY
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 31, 2022
Moreover, the possibility of Texas and Oklahoma leaving for the SEC without having to pay much in the way of fines or anything at all seemed more likely from the rhetoric we were hearing from the new Big 12 commissioner Yormark last month. Yormark seems more open to the possibility of Texas and Oklahoma leaving the Big 12 early for the SEC than former commissioner Bob Bowlsby did.
With a small group of reporters, new Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said "I'm not against" having negotiations that allow Texas/OU to leave for the SEC early. "But it's got to be in the best interest of the conference, obviously."
— Brian Davis (@BDavisUT) July 13, 2022
That could have something to do with the manner in which the news came about last summer that the Longhorns and Sooners were bolting from the Big 12 for the SEC, prompting the first major domino to fall in this round of conference realignment. Bowlsby was not happy about the way that went down, and understandably so from his perspective.
Yet, Yormark is a new voice leading the Big 12 administration and it seems like he is focusing on the future of how this conference can be sustained in the new wave of realignment. Yormark and the Big 12 now seem to be honing in on the new TV rights deal and how they can keep a leg up on the PAC-12 heading into the future.
Next. Final game-by-game predictions for Texas this season. dark
As it stands now, Texas and Oklahoma are still set to leave the Big 12 for the SEC by 2025 at the latest. But with the possibility seeming more likely now that the Big 12 gets a new TV contract signed, that could give these two schools the opportunity to leave early for the SEC without having to pay any hefty fine. That seems like a win-win scenario for all sides in this discussion.