LONG BEFORE MONDAY'S celebration in Norman marking the dawn of Oklahoma's new era in the SEC, Greg Tipton, the school's executive associate athletic director for internal operations, facilities and events, had an epiphany.
It was last July, and Oklahoma was already well into its process to chronicle all of the Big 12 logos around campus to be replaced with new SEC marks.
"I need to go count those flagpoles," he thought, about the flags that fly over the south end zone videoboard at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and represent each conference member. "You have your American flag, your state flag, your OU flag high up in the center, but then there were 10 flagpoles.