After a wild week in college football where we saw smoke become fire, the Southeastern Conference officially issued a welcome to Oklahoma and Texas as new members. The leaders of the University of Alabama issued their own welcomes to the two schools into the conference.

“The addition of Oklahoma and Texas, two esteemed institutions of higher education with strong academic programs, will serve to make the SEC even stronger. We are excited to welcome them to the SEC and believe the addition of these two schools will heighten our student-athletes’ opportunities to compete, enrich the fan experience and bolster the entire conference,” said University of Alabama President Stuart Bell.

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“We would like to welcome Oklahoma and Texas to the Southeastern Conference. The SEC has already established itself as the premiere conference in collegiate athletics, and the addition of these two tradition-rich programs will make for an even more competitive league in all sports,” said University of Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne.

The SEC will expand from 14 teams to 16 with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma. Both universities bring tradition rich athletic programs with prestige and vast financial backing.

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