In recent years, college football has undergone several realignments as conference affiliation has much less to do with geographical and historical factors and much more to do with economic factors. South Carolina football was part of a major realignment in the 1990s when they joined the SEC with Arkansas, and now, SEC football (and, therefore, South Carolina football) is in for another big change in 2024 when tradition-rich programs Texas and Oklahoma join the league. Other changes (Southern Cal and UCLA to the Big 10, in particular) are also set to happen.
Texas and Oklahoma choosing to leave the Big 12 for opportunities to compete in the SEC will improve their athletic departments significantly.