While A&M Fans Become More Pro-SEC; Some SEC Fans Wonder Why

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The rumors continue to kick around on Texas A&M messageboards:


* The SEC and Aggie brass are already working out the details of a Texas A&M jump behind closed doors.

* The SEC is looking to generate some positive publicity before a new wave of NCAA scandals come to light.

* A&M’s athletic director has now been won over to the SEC side of an internal Big 12 versus SEC debate.


Look, we don’t believe the SEC is on the verge of announcing a partnership with Texas A&M.  We’ve heard no such talk percolating from sources inside the SEC.  We do, however, believe such a move will eventually come to pass and that cracks continue to grow in the foundation of the recently-saved Big 12.  (Example: Though the league voted to up it’s television revenue sharing a bit, Texas is still stepping on toes with its new Longhorn Network package.)

From an SEC perspective, we’ve explained in detail what A&M would bring to the SEC.  Still, many SEC fans wonder why A&M would want to make such a move.  And some still believe that if the SEC does expand, it doesn’t need the Aggies.


1.  The question/comment we receive most often is this: “A&M can’t beat Arkansas and LSU now, why would they want to join the SEC?”

That’s a pretty shortsighted view to be honest.  Arkansas hasn’t dominated the SEC by any means but they have reached the SEC title games three times.  They played in a BCS bowl last year and they’re a darkhorse contender for the national crown this year.

South Carolina struggled mightily for most of its SEC existence, but last year the Cocks reached their first SEC Championship Game and they are probably going to be co-favorites to return from the East Division this year.

Things change. 

If presidents looked only at the present, several schools might never have joined the Southeastern Conference back in 1933.  Tulane had shared three of the last four Southern Conference titles before the SEC formed.  Yet no one feared the Green Wave — which had gone undefeated in 1929, 1930, and 1931 — and the SEC brought in schools like Florida, Kentucky, LSU and Georgia anyway. 

The football landscape changed from 1931 to 1971 to 2011.  It will change again between 2012, 2052 and 2092.

A&M might’ve lost to Arkansas and LSU last year, but that’s hardly a reason for the Aggies to fear the SEC or for SEC’ers to laugh at A&M’s possible inclusion. 


2.  We also often hear that the SEC doesn’t need to reach the Texas television markets because they already reach those markets via CBS and ESPN.  That much is true. 

But, if A&M were to join the SEC, the ratings for SEC games in those markets would go up considerably.  And the SEC could then use those higher ratings as leverage with CBS and ESPN — or other networks — the next time television contracts are in negotiation.


3.  Aside from money and stability, some emailers have asked us for other reasons why the Aggies might want to move.  Here’s a biggie — because A&M would finally have a positive recruiting tool to use against rival Texas.

Even Aggie fans must admit that as long as A&M and UT are in the same league, the team in Austin will out-recruit the team in College Station.  Ah, but a jump to the SEC would allow Aggie coaches to tell all those talented Texas prospects that they can stay home and play in the best conference in America… the conference that wins the most national titles… the conference that churns out the most NFL picks year-in and year-out. 

For the first time, Texas A&M would have something to sell recruiting-wise that Texas does not.


Online polls have shown that the majority of Aggie fans now support the idea of a move to the SEC.  That’s another first.   One A&M’er even emailed me a bumper sticker design that he’s created pushing A&M to “SEC”ede from the Big 12.  (Click the headline for a bigger look.)

Would there be hurdles to jump for Texas A&M to join the SEC?  Of course.  And that’s one reason we don’t expect the the parties to be announcing any move too soon.  (Another being that that SEC isn’t looking to be the league that raids another.  It will ll likely wait for the Big 12 to bust up on its own before Mike Slive and company go grabbing teams and yelling, “Jenga!”)

But we do think some of the most common arguments tossed out against an A&M to the SEC move are awfully flimsy.