Oklahoma and Texas officially notified the Big 12 Monday that they will not renew the league’s grant-of-rights agreement when it expires in 2025. It’s believed to be a first step toward leaving the conference and joining the SEC.
“Providing notice to the Big 12 at this point is important in advance of the expiration of the conference’s current media rights agreement,” Texas and Oklahoma 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 athletics programs for the future.”
In a released statement Big-12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said.
“Although our eight members are disappointed with the decisions of these two institutions, we recognize that intercollegiate athletics is experiencing rapid change and will most likely look much different in 2025 than it does currently. The Big 12 Conference will continue to support our member institutions’ efforts to graduate student-athletes and compete for Big 12 and NCAA championships. Like many others, we will use the next four years to fully assess what the landscape will look like in 2025 and beyond. The remaining eight institutions will work together in a collaborative manner to thoughtfully and strategically position the Big 12 Conference for continued success, both athletically and academically, long into the future.”
