It's one of those things that has been rumored for years. The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners have made no secret that both feel like they're too big for the rest of the Big 12 Conference. However, most people believed the two schools were content being big fish in a little bowl.

It doesn't look that way any more.

The Houston Chron broke the news with an exclusive story on Wednesday that stated, "Texas and Oklahoma of the Big 12 have reached out to the Southeastern Conference about joining the powerful league."

One story in the middle of the college football off-season does not usually warrant "freaking out," but The Chron isn't your typical clickbait rag and the story turned from a possibility into a likelihood within hours.

Mizzou Football is even using the news to show recruits that the Longhorns and Sooners want to be in the SEC, so they should want to play there too.

What does it mean for the rest of the Big 12 Conference? It's hard to say, but there will undoubtedly be a few schools standing on the doorsteps of the American Athletic Conference and Mountain West - when this latest round of musical chairs comes to an end.

Baylor just won a national championship in men's basketball, giving the Bears something positive to put on their resume for the Pac-12. But it's well-known that the Pac-12 doesn't want to deal with parochial schools. WVU has been passed over by the ACC repeatedly, but with the SEC going to 16 teams, the Mountaineers might look more attractive to the Atlantic Coast Conference this time around.

The turmoil and scandals surrounding Kansas could not come at a worse time for the Jayhawks. With a football program most feel couldn't compete in an FCS conference, and annual NCAA violations by a basketball program that can't even win the Big 12 anymore, KU is far from an attractive addition to a power conference.

For the rest of the conference, it really boils down to what those schools can accomplish before the current TV contract for the Big 12 runs out, allowing the Longhorns and Sooners to leave for the SEC. And the way it looks, Texas and Oklahoma have no plans of remaining any longer than that.

Some fans and analysts are surprised Texas and Oklahoma would want to leave or that the SEC would even want to add the two. The road to the College Football Playoff would certainly be harder for Texas.

But despite some people thinking everything is about winning, it may just be all about money in this case. With the addition of UT and OU, the SEC could jump from a $44 million per team payout each year - all the way up to $60 million. The SEC is already considered the best college football conference. The addition of OU and UT would only solidify that position for the coming decades.

Maybe Texas and Oklahoma are leaving the Big 12 for more money. Maybe they're leaving because Texas Tech and Baylor started winning the league in basketball, or because Iowa State became too challenging to beat in football. Whatever the reason, it looks like the Longhorns and Sooners are ready to leave. The only question now is, "Can any other Big 12 school become attractive enough to an autonomy league to not left out in the cold this time?"