Are Oklahoma and Texas to Blame for College Football’s Current State?
College football, as we know it today, has been shaped by numerous factors: changes in the sport’s rules, the rise of television contracts, the increasing importance of recruiting, and, more recently, the realignment of conferences. One of the most significant recent events in the sport’s evolution has been the decision of two of college football’s most storied programs, Oklahoma and Texas, to leave the Big 12 Conference and join the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
While many factors have contributed to college football’s current state, it’s natural to ask: Are Oklahoma and Texas to blame for college football’s current state? In many ways, yes. Their decision to leave the Big 12, which was announced in 2021, has had ripple effects that have dramatically altered the landscape of college football. However, it’s important to recognize that while Oklahoma and Texas have played a pivotal role in this realignment, they are by no means the sole culprits. Other factors and external pressures have shaped the sport’s evolution, and their move is part of a larger trend toward conference realignment and commercialization in college sports.
The Big Picture: College Football’s Realignment Drama
The Oklahoma and Texas move to the SEC is far from an isolated incident in the history of college football. Realignment has been happening for decades, with schools shifting conferences to align with new financial and competitive realities. The SEC’s rapid expansion, particularly with the addition of these two powerhouse programs, was the latest and most shocking move in a series of conference shakeups that have reshaped college football.
In fact, the SEC’s strength has been growing for years, and Oklahoma and Texas were two of the most coveted programs left in the Big 12. They had already been the subject of speculation about potential moves for years before finally making the decision to leave. The move was driven by the SEC’s growing media rights deals, the desire to compete at a higher level, and the fact that both Oklahoma and Texas were struggling with the diminishing competitiveness of the Big 12.
However, despite their individual reasons for the move, the timing of their departure has arguably worsened the current state of college football. The primary consequence of their shift to the SEC was the rapid and widespread realignment that followed, which has contributed to the sport’s current state. This new era of college football has shifted the focus from traditional rivalries and regional conferences to financial considerations and nationwide media exposure.
Impact on the Big 12: A Loss of Identity
One of the biggest consequences of Oklahoma and Texas leaving the Big 12 is the loss of identity for the conference. The Big 12 has historically been defined by these two dominant programs, and their departure marks the end of an era. The Big 12, once a power conference with multiple teams capable of competing for national titles, is now left with a much weaker footprint. Other schools like Kansas State, Iowa State, and Baylor will now be tasked with keeping the conference relevant, but it’s clear that the Big 12 will have a much harder time maintaining its status without the presence of Oklahoma and Texas.
As a result, the Big 12 is left scrambling to replace those teams, and it has attempted to do so by adding new schools, such as BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston. These programs, while competitive in their own right, simply do not carry the same brand power and history as Oklahoma and Texas. The vacuum left by their departure has significantly altered the landscape of college football, with the Big 12 now being viewed as a “second-tier” conference in the eyes of many.
The shift also affected the competitive balance of college football. For years, the Big 12’s primary power programs were Oklahoma and Texas. Without them, there is no clear contender to fill their shoes, and it has left a noticeable gap in a conference that once regularly competed for College Football Playoff (CFP) spots. This disruption has made it harder for schools within the Big 12 to remain competitive on the national stage.
The SEC’s Monopoly on College Football
The move of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC also underscores the growing dominance of that conference in college football. The SEC has long been regarded as the toughest and most competitive conference in the nation, boasting programs like Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Florida. By adding Oklahoma and Texas, the SEC has effectively cemented itself as the most powerful force in the sport, with eight of the nation’s top 25 teams coming from the SEC in recent years. This move has made it increasingly difficult for programs from other conferences to break into the upper echelon of college football.
The SEC’s ever-expanding power has left many fans and analysts worried that college football is becoming a de facto monopoly. As teams like Texas and Oklahoma join forces with SEC programs, the conference’s influence over the sport grows ever stronger. The prospect of a superconference, where one league dominates the sport both on and off the field, has become a legitimate concern. This power concentration in the SEC has led to questions about the fairness of the current college football structure, as other conferences may struggle to keep up with the SEC’s talent and resources.
Commercialization of College Football: Money Talks
At the heart of the Oklahoma and Texas move is the financial aspect. College football has become increasingly commercialized, with media rights deals and conference television contracts playing a major role in shaping the sport. The move to the SEC was, in many ways, driven by the promise of increased media revenue, and both Texas and Oklahoma recognized the financial benefits of being part of a conference with such massive television deals.
This trend of prioritizing revenue generation over traditional regional rivalries has been a significant contributing factor to the current state of college football. With billions of dollars at stake, the sport is increasingly driven by money rather than the historical and cultural significance of the rivalries that once defined it. College football’s expansion has become a business transaction, and the traditional structure of conferences and rivalries is being replaced by the desire for more lucrative television contracts and sponsorship deals.
The Fragmentation of College Football’s Identity
The departure of Oklahoma and Texas, along with the rapid realignment that followed, has led to a fragmentation of college football’s identity. The sport is now divided into superconferences where the rich get richer, and smaller schools are left to fend for themselves. These changes have made the sport feel more corporate and less like the college game that many fans grew up with. The allure of historic rivalries has diminished, as new superconferences reshape the landscape.
The advent of the College Football Playoff (CFP) has also exacerbated the fragmentation of the sport. While the CFP is designed to crown a national champion, it has contributed to the sense that only a few elite programs from a select group of conferences can realistically compete for the title. Schools from the SEC, Big Ten, and ACC dominate the playoff picture, while conferences like the Big 12 and Pac-12 often struggle to make an impact. The increasing dominance of these select conferences is a direct result of moves like Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC.