Editor's note: This story is featured in OU Daily's fall magazine, which will be available in print in mid-October. Check out the other featured stories at the bottom of this article.
The Southeastern Conference is described as one of the most lucrative conferences in the U.S., garnering 30 national college football titles since it was established in 1933, the most championships won by a single conference.
Earlier this year, OU announced it would transition to the SEC in 2024, a year earlier than its initial agreement, exemplifying the university’s desire to quickly reap the benefits the SEC presents. The SEC only falls behind the Big 10 in total revenue by over $40 million.
While OU, its athletics department and its administration gear up for the historic move, students are impacted as living in Norman becomes more expensive, a trend expected to accelerate in the new conference.
Norman Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Scott Martin told OU Daily the conference has some of the most loyal fans, driving viewership, attendance and economic opportunity in SEC college towns.
Last year, Martin visited three SEC universities — Alabama, Arkansas and Kentucky — during their home football weekends with a subcommittee comprised of fellow Norman officials, economic development specialists and marketing strategists.
On the subcommittee’s visits, they saw significantly more apartments, hotels, mixed-use housing and multi-family housing in those cities than in Norman, Martin said.
...It’s starting to look like somebody’s got a serious vendetta against Future and will stop at nothing to try and destroy his brand and career because the math isn’t mathing and facts just aren’t li...