Three years ago, Texas and Oklahoma sent shockwaves through the college sports world when they jointly announced that they had accepted invitations to join the SEC. Today, on July 1st 2024, the move finally becomes official. The original 2021 agreement had the Sooners and Longhorns joining in 2025, but negotiations in 2023 allowed the two schools to leave their former conference, the Big 12, a year ahead of schedule.

The two football juggernauts add even more firepower to a conference that was already the most dominant league in the country. The 2021 announcement was so seismic that it set off a chain reaction that ultimately led to the demise of the storied Pac-12 conference — as USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington fled for their long-time Rose Bowl partner, the Big Ten.

July 1st marks the official turning of the NCAA athletic calendar, and for Texas and Oklahoma — the start of a new era in the SEC. “This is a day we have been building toward for years,” said Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte. “This is where we belong,” added its Board of Regents chairman Kevin Eltife.

This is the first SEC expansion since the league added Texas A&M and Missouri back in 2012, and increases the league’s membership from 14 to 16 schools. Texas and Oklahoma are celebrating the migration with campus-wide festivities including carnivals, concerts, photo ops, fireworks, and midnight sales of SEC-themed merchandise. The events are being covered live on the SEC Network.