Could Texas and Oklahoma leave Big 12 early?

Jan 7, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian speaks to media during the Alabama Crimson Tide media day at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners are still three years away from officially leaving the Big 12 to join the SEC, but that timeline could apparently be moved up, according to a report.

The Big 12 confirmed Wednesday that it is opening conversations with FOX and ESPN about an early re-negotiation of the league’s current television deal. The move is widely seen as an attempt to beat the Pac-12 to the market, preventing the rival conference from gaining a possible advantage in rights negotiations.

The move could, however, have a side effect. According to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, Texas and Oklahoma are in active discussions about potentially moving their departure date up from 2025.

As a consequence of @Big12Conference starting negotiations early with rightsholders sources tell CBS Sports there are now active discussions regarding Texas and Oklahoma leaving early for the SEC.

— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) August 31, 2022

There is little incentive for the Sooners or Longhorns to remain in the conference under a new rights deal. This ultimately depends on how serious the Big 12’s discussions are, but if a deal really does come into place, that could certainly accelerate things.

From Texas’ perspective, they probably wouldn’t mind letting their new quarterback have a shot at the rest of the SEC in a year or two either.