Stay together for the TV partners: Oklahoma, Texas not leaving Big 12 for SEC until 2025

Oklahoma and Texas will have to stick it out in the Big 12 for two more years for TV reasons.

Although Oklahoma and Texas are largely responsible for the latest wave of college football realignment, it is so ironic that the Sooners and the Longhorns will be the last ones to leave for their new conference.

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Oklahoma and Texas are probably going to have to stay in the Big 12 for the duration of their television contract. There was a belief that they could leave the Big 12 for the SEC after the 2023 academic year. However, these sped-up negotiations have stalled, thus making it increasingly likely all involved with have to stay together for the

kids

TV partners.

It will be a 14-team league in the Big 12 for the next two seasons, with BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF moving up from the Group of Five level.

The SEC will be just fine without Oklahoma and Texas for another year or two, but everybody else gets to move, so why not them?

Though losing Oklahoma and Texas will be crippling to the Big 12 from a TV revenue standpoint, it is incredibly hypocritical that USC and UCLA get to hop to the Big Ten from the Pac-12 after this season.

Oklahoma, Texas’ bitter Big 12 divorce will be dragged out for yet another season

The hold-up in all this is the TV partners. The Big 12 shares rights with ESPN and FOX, while the SEC is predominantly an ESPN production, with the CBS contract going away here shortly. While the Big Ten is absolutely golden, the SEC is being dragged down by the Big 12 a good bit over this. Frankly, this is entirely a FOX issue, and one that merits being discussed for this all to make sense.

Of the Power Five conferences, the ACC and the SEC are essentially ESPN entities. This means FOX does not have the ability to broadcast 28 of the Power Five programs located in the Eastern and Central Time Zones. The reason this is significant is FOX’s premier broadcasting window on Saturday is at Noon. Simply put, FOX cannot showcase ACC and SEC games on Big Noon Kickoff.

FOX has broadcasting rights in the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12. With it being too early in the day to air Pac-12 games in the early-afternoon window, FOX must go with Big Ten and Big 12 games. No doubt about it, a Big Ten program of note will draw a number (Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, etc.). However, the only Big 12 properties that historically draw a number are Oklahoma and Texas.

In time, maybe a few of the remaining 12 Big 12 programs will become a national power and will draw a number on television? The problem with that is even if Oklahoma and Texas are down, they will still draw far better than when teams like Baylor, Kansas State or Oklahoma State have it rolling. In short, Big Noon Kickoff could become somewhat of a Big Ten enterprise in a few years.

Ultimately, it serves college football to have as many of its conferences be viable. Although the Big Ten and SEC are pulling away, a 12-team playoff will still afford a revamped Big 12 a seat at the table. Frankly, it should still be a competitive league without Oklahoma and Texas. However, it will not carry anywhere near the cachet of those two schools on TV. You can understand this problem.

This feels like a marketing dilemma FOX and the Big 12 will have to navigate more than anything.

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