Last I heard, the SEC is not going to the pod alignment. Each school will have 3 permanent "rivals" and play the other 12 teams on a rotating basis. OU and UT will surely play each other annually, as will UT and ATM. But almost certainly they won't have the same slate of permanent-rival programs.
That's my understanding, anyway.
Anyway, it's good to get the departure date settled, and for it to be sooner rather than later.