Texas Lawmakers Enter Discussions About Longhorns Joining The SEC

College sports are such a big business in Texas that state politicians are getting involved in the University of Texas' fight to join the Southeastern Conference.

Four prominent state lawmakers met with Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday, a day after news broke that Texas and the University of Oklahoma expressed interest in leaving the Big 12 for the SEC, the Texas Tribune reported.

The group included state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, who's currently penning a bill that would require the state legislature to sign off on UT leaving the Big 12.

“The lack of transparency by our flagship institution is wrong. Such a monumental economic and educational decision impacting the entire state must not be made in a bubble on the forty acres," Leach wrote on Twitter.

"This is about much more than college sports. The impact UT’s decision would have on communities & businesses all across Texas would be real, substantial and potentially devastating. On behalf of those concerned Texans, the Texas Legislature has an obligation to be involved.”

Meanwhile, the SEC could make a decision about UT and OU in a couple of weeks.

That's time Texas lawmakers do not have. With the ongoing special session and state Democrats in Washington, Texas lawmakers are unable to introduce new bills until the next legislative session, which is in 2023.

Texas has a history of politicians getting involved in college conference changes. The former Gov. Ann Richards and her Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock were responsible for getting their alma maters Texas Tech and Baylor University into the Big 12 in the 1990s, according to Texas Monthly.