The SEC has told Georgia and Tennessee to not play Oklahoma in a previously scheduled home-and-home series, Oklahoma announced in a news release.

The Bulldogs had the Sooners scheduled in 2023 and 2031, while the Vols’ 2020 game in Norman was cancelled amid the pandemic and was expected to be made up down the line. The other UT-OU game was slated for Knoxville in 2024. That left the return games in each of the series to take place after OU and Texas are scheduled to join the league for the 2025 football season.

Because the second non-conference game in each of the Oklahoma-Georgia and Oklahoma-Tennessee series is scheduled to take place after OU joins the SEC in 2025, the conference is directing the postponement of the Georgia at Oklahoma game in 2023 and the Oklahoma at Tennessee game in 2024 until such time that those matchups become part of the conference rotation of games in future years.

The Sooners have replaced the Georgia series with a home-and-home series against SMU. OU will host the Mustangs on Sept. 9, 2023, and will play at SMU on Sept. 11, 2027. OU is also working to replace its home-and-home series with Tennessee and will announce those details when they are finalized.

This announcement has led to speculation that Oklahoma and Texas would be joining the league earlier than expected. It also raises questions about other future scheduling, such as Florida against Texas in 2030 and 2031. Or even Texas at Alabama next season. Georgia also has games scheduled against Texas in 2028 and 2029.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has said in the past that the league would have an orderly transition and that’s why it’s still focused on 2025, but he’s also added, “I’m a pretty adaptable person.”