Texas And Oklahoma Reportedly Reached A Deal With The Big 12 To Leave For The SEC A Year Early, But ESPN And Fox Won't Approve It

Since it was first reported Texas and Oklahoma would be moving to the SEC, everyone's attention has been on whether the schools would be able to exit the Big 12 before their last contractually obligated season in 2024. And according to Brett McMurphy, the schools had reached a deal with the Big 12 to leave for the SEC a year early, but Fox and ESPN weren't satisfied with the terms of the deal. McMurphy seemingly left open the possibility of a deal still getting done, though.

This creates a bit of a source-off with Pete Thamel — an ESPN employee, for what it's worth — who reported Friday morning that the deal was dead and the schools wouldn't move to the SEC until 2025.

It makes sense the hold-up on this would be on the networks' end. Texas and OU clearly don't want to be in the Big 12 any longer than they have to be and the league would love to get a nice check from two schools that are leaving a year later, anyway. Fox is the one who loses out the most if the Big 12's two premier brands leave a year early and give the network TCU-Baylor and Oklahoma State-Kansas State as its marquee matchups in 2024.

Leave these money-hungry posers in the Big 12 as long as possible, I say. I'd be fine if they never enjoyed the privilege of being member institutions of the Southeastern Conference, but it'll happen soon enough.

I'm rooting for Fox, though. Find a way to keep them in the Big 12 until 2026 if you can, fellas.