Greg Sankey offers extensive comments about Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC

Greg Sankey has been in the middle of Texas and Oklahoma moving to the SEC, and the news late Thursday evening that it would happen in 2024 restarted discussions about scheduling and expansion.

Sankey spoke on WJOX in Birmingham, Alabama on “McElroy and Cubelic In the morning” and was asked about a final domino falling to pull the lever on the move. Oklahoma and Texas were originally expected to join the league in 2025.

“Their willingness, and ability and interest to adjust the departure date was central to us having the opportunity to move this forward sooner than later,” Sankey said.

Sankey recalled the timeframe was because of the Grant of Rights with the Big 12.

“Our preparation was to add after those contracts expired,” he said. “The ability to go early is solely based on their ability to adjust their agreements.”

About scheduling, Sankey explained that his priorities are to look at the big picture and options. Sankey said the SEC has explored dozens of scheduling models, and people send scheduling options to him. The second was to rotate teams around the league more frequently.

“That shouldn’t happen, we shouldn’t go 12 years between campus visits,” Sankey said.

Sankey added that SEC officials have focused, more recently, on a single division format, but the 8 or 9 game schedule is still being decided.

Sankey said the spring meetings in Destin, Florida is the “far end” date of making a decision, and he’d like to make one sooner.

SEC commissioner @GregSankey talks @TexasFootball & @OU_Football joining the SEC in 2024, scheduling possibilities & if expansion will ever come to an end. https://t.co/GKVy8IncrK

— McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning (@macandcube) February 10, 2023

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.