Morning Notes On A&M/SEC Expansion

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It’s gameday in the SEC for Kentucky and Mississippi State, but the focus for many fans remains on expansion.  With that in mind, we’ll start with a mornin’ roundup of league and Texas A&M expansion news:


1.  Blogging yesterday, A&M athletic director Bill Byrne lists Texas, ESPN and the Longhorn Network as reasons for his school’s departure from the Big 12.  (That’s a interesting stance since wherever A&M lands — and Byrne mentions the “Bigger Ten, Pac 12, SEC” as possibilities — the Aggies will still wind up partnering with ESPN on some level.)


“We anticipate that ESPN will continue to push the envelope with the Longhorn Network, regardless of Texas A&M’s conference affiliation.”


2.  Here’s what everybody — including several SEC coaches — is saying about A&M’s move.

3.  Here’s a simplified list of 10 things you should know about A&M’s move.

4.  The Rivals site for Texas A&M reports that A&M did a study of the NFL and MLB and determined that leagues are better off when everyone gets a fair share of the pie.  For the Aggies, this move was a business decision.

5.  This writer for FoxSportsHouston says A&M’s move is more about leaving the Big 12 than joining the SEC.

6.  Aggie football commitments don’t seem to care about A&M’s potential move to the SEC one way or the other.

7.  Aggieyell.com says that A&M can compete just fine in the SEC.  (This site agrees wholeheartedly.)

8.  The Rivals site for Texas believes Virginia Tech and the SEC “are starting to get to know each other to see if that could be a good marriage in the SEC East.”

9.  This ESPN writer says Texas now has an opportunity to shape the Big 12 even more in its own image.

10.  While this ESPN scribe says Oklahoma holds a few cards in this game and should they choose to join the Pac-12… the Big 12 could fold.


“OU president David Boren is charmed by the idea of aligning OU’s law school with Stanford and Cal-Berkeley; it’s fine arts school with UCLA and USC.  Academically, the SEC can’t compete with that.”


11.  But this writer for The Oklahoman says OU will have to play the waiting game.  (He, too, believes the Sooners will move west if they move at all.)

12.  Meanwhile Missouri’s chancellor — who is also chairman of the Big 12 board — says the league is committed to staying together.  He’d have to be pretty duplicitous if his school were to up and leave.


“… despite stray conjecture by some that the SEC wants Mizzou or vice versa, there is little to support the connection.  A person familiar with conference expansion talks said MU has hardly been mentioned by the SEC.”


13.  BYU gave a non-denial denial, but The Salt Lake City Tribune reports Cougar brass are already talking with Big 12 officials.

14.  Finally, Gerry Fraley of The Dallas Morning News provides Aggie fans with a school-by-school breakdown of the SEC.