KANSAS CITY, Mo. — At Big 12 Media Day on Wednesday, it was clear that the league is in the middle of an odd chapter.
Although Texas and Oklahoma will depart for the SEC in the coming years, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark discussed an expanded football schedule for the league that will include new members Houston, UCF, Cincinnati and BYU — which will all join the conference officially next summer — and the Longhorns and Sooners until they exit.
Texas coach Chris Beard acknowledged how unusual the situation is for the teams that will leave the league in the near future.
“It’s a little awkward, to be honest with you,” Beard told ESPN. “In some ways, not necessarily today, it’s like you got divorced but you’re still living in the same house.”
Beard said he tells his players to control what they can control, but he also said it’s human nature to acknowledge the current predicament for both Texas and Oklahoma.
“I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it,” Beard said. “But it’s undeniable to not say it’s real. It’s a little unique.”