The idea of a 16-team SEC took another leap forward on Thursday. 

The SEC announced that it has extended its invitation to Texas and Oklahoma to join the Southeastern Conference after a unanimous 14-0 vote by the conference’s presidents. 

July 1, 2025 will be the first date that the Longhorns and Sooners will be eligible to join the SEC. 

“Today’s unanimous vote is both a testament to the SEC’s longstanding spirit of unity and mutual cooperation, as well as a recognition of the outstanding legacies of academic and athletic excellence established by the Universities of Oklahoma and Texas,” said SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. 

The invitations come just two days after the schools submitted applications to become members of the conference. They previously announced that they will not extend their grant-of-rights deals with the Big 12. 

The move has created controversy, with the Big 12 sending a cease-and-desist letter to ESPN, owners of the SEC Network, alleging that the network had colluded with other conferences in an attempt to undermine the Big 12. 

The Longhorns and Sooners are expected to accept the SEC’s invitations, potentially sparking a domino effect of conference realignment.