As expected, Big 12 member presidents voted unanimously to accept the applications for membership from Brigham Young, the University of Central Florida, the University of Cincinnati and the University of Houston.
“Today’s actions were in accordance with Big 12 Conference Bylaw 1.5.2.b.3 requiring an affirmative vote of a supermajority of directors and was approved unanimously by the eight continuing members," the Big 12 said in a statement.
New Oklahoma State president Dr. Kayse Shrum said this about the move:
“Today’s vote represents the first of many steps to take place over the next couple of years. I am enthusiastic about the future of Oklahoma State University athletics as part of the reimagined Big 12 with the addition of (the four schools)… I also appreciate the leadership of our athletic director Chad Weiberg, and I’m proud to work alongside him to chart a bright future for the Oklahoma State University athletics.”
Shrum's statement was one of a slew of released statements from OSU personnel, including Weiberg, head football coach Mike Gundy and head basketball coach Mike Boynton.
The devil is in the details and some of those are yet to have been announced. A key part for OSU fans to follow is whether there was any extension to the Grant of Rights that currently runs through 2025. According to our sources, the GoR was not on the table for discussion in the current expansion, much less part of a vote. Additionally, the specifics on when each school is expected to participate in the conference for the first time has yet to be clarified. BYU could, in theory, be in the Big 12 for the 2022 football season. The other three schools are currently tied to the AAC through the 2023 football season and likely won't be able to begin participation until the 2024-25 academic year.
As noted in the post "Big 12 expansion: What I expect, and how it affects OSU" from one week ago, today's news does not change a whole lot for Oklahoma State in terms of possible future conference affiliation. Sans an extension of the GoR past 2025, OSU is in exactly the same circumstances today as they were yesterday. That is that they are locked into the Big 12 through the 2024-25 academic calendar via the existing Grant of Rights. Additionally, any future move to exit the conference carries an $80 million exit fee with it. All of those things were true yesterday and remain true after this morning's vote. It is worth noting that those same constraints apply to Texas and Oklahoma, who have already announced their intention to join the SEC.
While there is plenty of fanfare surrounding today's news, it likely does not mark an end to this round of conference realignment. And Oklahoma State remains very much in the mix to ultimately reside in a conference other than the Big 12. For now, though, they will move forward with the newly-formed 12-team Big 12.
