DALLAS - Rivals Oklahoma and Texas are entering the SEC this season with a new rule: the 'Horns Down' sign is no longer a penalty. 

When the Longhorns were in the BIG 12, if an opposing team gave the 'Horns Down' symbol, it was an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which cost a team 15 yards and an automatic first down. In the SEC, 'Horns Down' will not be a penalty.

"To be unsportsmanlike conduct, I'm asking my officials to use a framework of judgment where the act to be a foul needs to be in one of three buckets,” said SEC Officials Coordinator John McDaid. “It needs to be taunting an opponent, It needs to be a travesty of the game, or it needs to otherwise compromise our ability to manage the game. I can see a scenario where an opponent of Texas makes a big play, in celebrating with his teammates, possibly going back to the sideline, they're giving the signal, it's not taunting, it's not making a travesty of the game, it's not affecting our ability to manage the game.”

“It shouldn't be a penalty anyway, you know, everybody has a hand signal,” said Oklahoma safety Billy Bowman. “If you let a hand signal affect you and affect the game, maybe you shouldn't be there.”

LSU does not play Texas in the regular season.