Oklahoma football is moving to the SEC in the next few years but the latest scheduling move might be a sign that the change comes sooner than expected.
Both Oklahoma and Texas shocked the world when the Sooners and Longhorns made it official that they’re making the move to the SEC. The dust has long since settled on that decision, though, and the sports world has been waiting for 2025 when the move is set to become official. Oklahoma football, however, is signaling that fans might not have to wait that long.
There has long been the belief that the two programs would be gone to the new conference from the Big 12 before 2025 because, frankly, that’s just often how these things work, especially with two programs of this magnitude involved.
But on Wednesday, Oklahoma and Georgia canceled a scheduled home-and-home series for games in 2023 and 2031 along with another series between the Sooners and Tennessee. Those series have now been canceled, though, under the direction of the SEC.
Sources: The SEC has directed Georgia and Tennessee to not play their home-and-home non-conference series against Oklahoma. The Bulldogs had OU scheduled in ’23 and ’31. The Vols’ 2020 game in Norman was cancelled amid COVID and was expected to be made up down the line.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 14, 2022
Oklahoma football: Canceled Georgia series could signal move to SEC before 2025
Future non-conference series, even ones as big as this one, getting canceled is nothing new to college football. However, the particular set of circumstances at play here make this situation more notable.
All indications have been that Oklahoma football will be part of the SEC East when they head to the new conference with Texas joining the West division. It just so happens that Georgia and Tennessee are also in the East division.
With the Sooners’ impending move to the SEC looming, it would stand to reason that the conference urging the teams to cancel the scheduled series is an indication that the move could happen as soon as next season in 2023 as the Georgia game would be a conference matchup. rather than just a high-profile non-con matchup.
Of course, this is all just reading between the lines. But this definitely feels like the first domino to fall before an early move.
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