MANHATTAN, Kan. — It's no secret Texas and Oklahoma are hoping to jump ship from the Big-12 to the SEC in 2024, one year prior to their planned 2025 departure.
However, negotiations between the two schools, the Big-12 conference, and their television networks (ESPN and FOX) remain complicated, and a recent quote from Big-12 commissioner Brett Yormark seems to imply this situation is far from being resolved.
"We'll see how it goes," Yormark told Kirk Bohls from the Austin American-Statesman during halftime of the Texas-Kansas State basketball game on Saturday. "Negotiations take twists and turns."
The primary issue right now is FOX, who does not want to lose inventory if the Big-12 is without Texas and Oklahoma a year earlier than previously planned.
Locked on Big-12 host Josh Neighbors is encouraged that the conference and the two departing schools seemed to come to an agreement, but acknowledges FOX plays a huge role in these negotiations, and for good reason.
"FOX is a huge factor in all of this," Neighbors said. "They're a television partner now, they are going to be later, and so appeasing them is important...so the big problem now is FOX says no, so it's a no."
The Big-12 is adding four new programs ahead of the 2023 season in BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF, crowding the conference for at least one year until Texas and Oklahoma move to the SEC.
The Big-12, Texas, and Oklahoma all seem comfortable making this move a year early, but money always talks and it doesn't make sense for the conference to go against the wishes of their primary television partner in FOX.
Fore more on this story as it continues to develop, check out the Locked on Big-12 podcast.