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Pete ThamelESPN
Two high-profile nonconference series have been scuttled because of the impending departure of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC, which is scheduled for 2025.
The SEC announced Wednesday that it “directed” Georgia and Tennessee to “postpone” scheduled games with Oklahoma because the Sooners are on their way to the SEC.
The SEC’s reasoning is that the second game in each series was to “take place after Oklahoma joins the SEC in 2025.” That led the SEC to nix Georgia’s game at Oklahoma next season and Oklahoma’s game at Tennessee in 2024.
Georgia was scheduled to go to Oklahoma in 2031, and the makeup of the 2020 game with Tennessee that was scheduled for Norman had not yet set a makeup date. But since it was expected to be after 2025, the SEC decided to wipe away both series.
The timing of when Oklahoma and Texas end up in the SEC has been the subject of much speculation since it was announced in the summer of 2021 that they were joining the league. That left both schools with four remaining seasons in the Big 12, which is an eternity considering how much unrest their departure has caused the league.
An early departure would be subject to both a significant exit fee, expected to be roughly $80 million, and the violation of a grant of rights agreement, which is why both schools and the SEC have been cautious in addressing a potential early departure.
Both Oklahoma and Georgia have filled the Sept. 9 spot in their schedules. Oklahoma announced it will play SMU on that day and play a return game in Dallas in 2027. Georgia filled the scheduling hole on Sept. 9 of next season with a game against Ball State.