Is Oklahoma going to the SEC? Taking a look at recent conference realignment drama in college football
The Oklahoma Sooners are the most successful football team in the Big 12. The Sooners have won the Big 12 championship 14 times.
After the Sooners, the schools to have won the most Big 12 championships have only three titles apiece. This goes to show the gap in the success of the Sooners and the rest of the Big 12 conference.
The story of the Sooners and the Big 12 is one that goes back almost three decades. Oklahoma and other members of the defunct Big Eight Conference teamed up with four members from the old Southwest Conference to form the Big 12. Together, they are the foundation members of the Big 12.
The Big 12-Oklahoma love story is nearing its end as the Sooners are set to leave the Big 12 and head to a new conference.
Is Oklahoma going to the SEC?
Oklahoma is set to join the SEC in 2024. The Sooners will be joining the SEC along with their Big 12 rivals, the Texas Longhorns.
The detachment of the schools from the Big 12 started in July 2021, when they approached the SEC with a proposal to join the conference.
The SEC voted to extend an invitation to the schools and scheduled them to join the conference in 2025.
However, the schools reached an agreement with the Big 12 to leave the conference and join the SEC. This required a buyout payment to the Big 12 by the schools. Both schools spent at least $100 million in distributable revenue.
Exploring Oklahoma’s history of conference affiliations
The Sooners’ athletic history began as an independent school. From 1895 to 1914, the school was independent. Then, in 1915, the Sooners joined the Southwest Conference and remained members of the conference until 1919.
Next, the school joined the Big Eight Conference in 1920. It remained a member of the Big Eight for 75 long years until 1995.
The Sooners have won 50 conference championships across three conferences. They won the Southwest Conference in 1915 and 1918. Their feat includes fourteen consecutive Big Eight championships from 1946 to 1959.
In addition, the Sooners have claimed seven national championship titles. The Sooners last won a national championship title in 2000. With the team set on another adventure into a new conference, fans can look forward to a new era of success under Brent Venables.
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