Oklahoma and Texas Notify Big 12 They Won’t Extend Grant of Rights

In a joint statement, the two schools officially kicked off the process for leaving the Big 12 Conference.

The wheels of conference realignment have officially been set in motion.

After last week’s reports that Oklahoma and Texas intended to jump from the Big 12 Conference to the SEC, the Sooners and Longhorns have taken the first official step toward the Southeastern Conference.

Monday morning, the two schools declared they would not renew their grant of rights of media past 2025 with the Big 12.

“Providing notice to the Big 12 at this point is important in advance of the expiration of the conference’s current media rights agreement,” OU and Texas said in a joint statement. “The universities intend to honor their existing grant of rights agreements.

“However, both universities will continue to monitor the rapidly evolving collegiate athletics landscape as they consider how best to position their athletic programs for the future.”

This notification to the Big 12 will pave the way for the schools to petition the SEC for membership, which reportedly could happen as soon as this week.