Conference realignment has reshaped college football. Here is where Texas schools landed and what it means.
The new landscape for Texas schools:
- Texas — SEC (joined alongside Oklahoma)
- Texas A&M — SEC (already there since 2012)
- TCU — Big 12
- Baylor — Big 12
- Texas Tech — Big 12
- Houston — Big 12 (joined from AAC)
- SMU — ACC
- UNT — AAC
- UTSA — AAC
- Texas State — Sun Belt
- Rice — AAC
Winners:
- SMU — ACC membership is a program-changing upgrade. Power conference revenue and recruiting advantages.
- Houston — Big 12 membership after decades as a Group of 5 school. The Cougars now have a path to the CFP through a power conference.
- Texas — SEC membership plus the 12-team CFP means the Longhorns play on the biggest stage.
Losers:
- TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech — Stayed in the Big 12, but the conference lost Texas and Oklahoma. The TV deal revenue dropped. Perception as a "lesser Power 5" conference.
- Rivalry disruptions — Texas-Texas A&M is no longer an annual game (may be scheduled sporadically). Texas-Tech lost its annual game with Texas.
The DFW impact:
- DFW now has SEC (Texas, A&M), Big 12 (TCU, Baylor, Tech), and ACC (SMU) alumni all in one city.
- Saturday sports bar arguments just got more complicated.
Sources:
- ESPN — conference realignment tracker
- Big 12 — membership and revenue data
- SEC — expansion details
- AAC / Sun Belt — membership changes