Texas A&M to the SEC will happen; what about Oklahoma?
One of these schools figures to be SEC-bound. The other school might follow. (AP photo)
Let’s go ahead and make the call, Election Night style, and give Texas A&M to the SEC. On Wednesday, Texas governor Rick Perry, a former Aggie yell leader, told the Dallas Morning News, “As far as I know, conversations are being had.” A&M soon released a statement that was in no way a denial, and Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe told the Austin American-Statesman he was taking the reports “very seriously.”
That’s an awful lot of hullabaloo for one August day, but it only underscores the rickety nature of the Big 12, which is technically down to 10 members — Colorado’s in the Pac-12, Nebraska in the Big Ten — and has no place to expand. Indeed, the Big 12 as is might as well be renamed Texas And Everybody Else, seeing as how the tent-pole school has struck its own deal with ESPN to launch the immodestly named Longhorn Network.
If you’re Texas A&M, what’s your motivation to remain in a dying conference where your biggest rival has been handed a massive competitive edge? There was talk two summers ago that the Aggies want badly to bolt for the SEC, which has the advantages of being both a better and more balanced league, but in the end Beebe was able to hold most of his conference together. It’s hard to imagine him doing it again.
An A&M official told the Houston Chronicle the rest of the Big 12 was “tired of Texas.” The rest of the league, you might note, includes Oklahoma. Even though the Dallas Morning News reported that “no other Big 12 team is considering an exit,” it would only make sense for the SEC, assuming it adds a 13th team, to find a 14th just for numerical balance. And Oklahoma, which is ranked No. 1 in the coaches’ preseason football poll, would be the obvious target.
Check the Sooners’ 2011 schedule. Note that Nebraska isn’t on it. That game, which stood for decades as the decider in the old Big Eight, has been lost to realignment. Oklahoma still plays Texas in Dallas and Oklahoma State home-and-home, but who else in the Big 12 stands as a worthy adversary? Kansas? Baylor? Iowa State?
There might be no groundswell for Oklahoma to leave the Big 12 yet, but just wait. When/if Texas A&M departs, would the Sooners want to stay in a nine-team league where its biggest rival has its own network?
No one school owns the SEC. No, not even Alabama. (If Bama did, would Auburn enter the 2011 season as the reigning BCS titlist?) The competition in the SEC is cutthroat, but schools believe that if you work hard enough you can win big. Check that coaches’ poll and you’ll find South Carolina, Arkansas and Mississippi State in the Top 25.
If everybody else in the Big 12 is “tired of Texas,” Oklahoma would surely feel the fatigue more than most. (Let’s note, too, that the Longhorn Network hasn’t even had its premiere.) Oklahoma looked hard at the SEC in the summer of 2010. When/if Texas A&M bolts, the next school to exit could well be riding off in the Sooner Schooner.
By Mark Bradley
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347 comments Add your comment
USC Jimi
August 12th, 2011
1:36 pm
For some silly reason OK thinks that they are at a higher level of education than we in the south are. Why do we need to expand? Let the rest of the country chase us!!
Tease teams can’t live up to the hype – ESPN | Football News and Topics
August 12th, 2011
1:46 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
Bodda Getta
August 12th, 2011
1:51 pm
I would be happy to see us go to the east and renew our annual beat down of Florida.
We can still keep the Iron Bowl,
Also, Bama can come over too when the SEC finally decides to tell UGA to take a hike over their whining about oversigning.
henry from TN
August 12th, 2011
1:55 pm
I don’t want the aggies or sooners in the SEC
BAMAMike
August 12th, 2011
2:03 pm
FSU to the SEC would be fun…they could actually hang. They actually have National appeal b/c of Bowden and 15 years of ACC Fanny Whoopin’.
LHarding Dawg
August 12th, 2011
2:04 pm
Bodda Getta makes about as much sense as his stupid name. If anyone was kicked out of the conference it should be AU. The biggest cheats in college football since SMU. While we were at it, Georgia Tech could replace Auburn so the conference would have a world class engineering school.
Bodda Getta
August 12th, 2011
2:18 pm
In the past two seasons, Auburn gave the SEC schools a share of an $18M BCS bowl and $3.3M New Year’s day bowl payout.
Georgia Tech gave its conference members a share of an $18M BCS bowl payout.
What did Georgia give?
TidewBleach
August 12th, 2011
2:20 pm
Oklahoma typically has one of the better strength of schedule ratings in the nation. They play Oregon, Alabama, Miami, and Florida State, and have works with Tennessee and LSU on the horizon. Missouri, Kansas, Texas Tech, Texas, and OU have all been top 10 teams in the last five years. The step to SEC might be a slight bump in competition for them, but they don’t seem to shy away from it.
And I’ve heard their games carry more TV sets in Texas than A&M does. Plus they are the main draw in their own state markets of Tulsa and OKC.
I’m hoping they come. My thought is that the ties to the other Oklahoma school might prevent it.
daddydog1988
August 12th, 2011
2:21 pm
If SEC takes OKLa along with A&M, Auburn should move to East. Alabama could replace Georgia as Auburn’s annual cross-division foe.
Falcons4Eva
August 12th, 2011
2:22 pm
If Texas A&M and Oklahoma do come to the SEC, would they still call it the SEC or would they considering renaming the conference The Big South Conference?
Go Falcons, Go Dogs. Geaux to Hell Saints!
7576DAWG
August 12th, 2011
2:56 pm
Adding Texas A&M to the SEC will also get Florida State who should have been there already, Clemson and Oklahoma. The SEC would sure be awesome and very intimidating. We would end up with at least 10 of the top 25 ranked teams. If this expansion happens I think the next thing would be a playoff system. The SEC would be so talented that if you didn’t have one, you could never get a true national champion.
Texas sure shot themselves in the foot on this one by acting like they were in charge and that everybody else needed to line up and pay homage.to them instead of the Big -12. The pathetic ting is that Texas doesn’t care if they are destroying the Big -12.
Fortguy
August 12th, 2011
3:25 pm
I have to comment on a remark made earlier. Delbert D., the U. of Houston is not at “Tier 4″ institution. You are way behind the times. As of last year, they are regarded as a top-tier, very high research institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching–on of only four schools in Texas to have that status (Texas, Texas A&M, Rice), and that ranking puts them ahead of most SEC schools academically.
I don’t see Houston ever going to the SEC, but with the commitment to athletics and academics they’ve shown, they would be an excellent replacement to A&M in the Big 12. It all depends on whether Oklahoma wants to hold their nose and stick with Texas to hold the conference together or dump the ‘Horns, grab OSU and TX Tech, and head for the PAC-12. It will be Oklahoma’s decision. Texas has no say in that one with its toxic network.
notbspn
August 12th, 2011
3:29 pm
Its going to happen and Va Tech will be joining them.
ESPN and their lover Texas is to blame as they are in bed together.
For more information go to http://notbspn.com, or vote on who is leaving the Big 12 next @ http://t.co/hYSS8N6
KnightInATL
August 12th, 2011
3:31 pm
I think the SEC raids the ACC, not OU. FSU, Clemson, or Va Tech…or possibly all 3 if they want to go to a 16 team super-conference.
Big Spur
August 12th, 2011
3:34 pm
UGA has been working to weaken the SEC by changing the conference recruiting rules so they can compete.
It is time to boot UGA out of the SEC and end this nonsense.
NDawgC87
August 12th, 2011
4:04 pm
Last time I looked at a map of the United States Oklahoma was in the midwest….hmmm does geography matter anymore?
Conference Guru
August 12th, 2011
4:39 pm
SEC East – Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Tenneessee, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Florida
SEC West – Ole Miss, Mississippi State, LSU, Arkansas, Missouri, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State
Pac 16 – Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, USC, UCLA, California, Stanford, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas, and one of the following: San Diego State or UNLV
Mountain West – adds Baylor, Iowa State, Texas Tech, and Houston
LHarding Dawg
August 12th, 2011
5:13 pm
Conference – That sure looks like a tough Eastern Division.
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August 12th, 2011
5:53 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
Tech '10
August 12th, 2011
6:15 pm
Insert obligatory and off topic troll language here.
If A&M leaves there will be a lot of changes, I doubt that any ACC team would allow itself to be cherry picked, at least not as a package deal. UVA and VT or more or less joined at the hip. Clemson already plays SC and its doubtful that they would want to make a change right now, though they are the school most like an sec school. Any other team is in the conference mainly for academics, except maybe fl st.
Druid City
August 12th, 2011
6:34 pm
The SEC has the opportunity to balance the divisions competitively and kick out the schools who are undermining our ability to compete on an even-footing with other conferences.
This would be a great lineup:
SEC East – Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt.
SEC West – LSU, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss.
Annual cross-division rivalries would include:
Alabama-Texas A&M,
Auburn-Arkansas,
Florida-LSU,
Tennessee-Oklahoma,
South Carolina-Mississippi State,
Kentucky-Oklahoma State,
Vanderbilt-Ole Miss
Let’s make it happen.
LHarding Dawg
August 12th, 2011
6:49 pm
Druid – That’s a pretty stupid lineup without Georgia!
Druid City
August 12th, 2011
7:10 pm
Frankly, most of the SEC coaches and fans have had it up to HERE with Georgia and would be very happy to have them removed from the SEC.
We are dealing with increasing recruiting restrictions because of Georgia’s insistence that the university presidents put us at a competitive disadvantage.
The other conferences don’t have to deal with this and neither should we.
The fans just want to see the best players play.
Tech '10
August 12th, 2011
7:43 pm
Druid City – While I am unsure about the merit of your comment, not being familiar with sec recruiting restrictions, I think the sec is pretty much considered a premier athletic conference. The rank in money making for the conference is partially a reflection of the states in which the schools are located. Conferences that have california or texas schools will automatically have an advantage over the likes of TN, SC, AL, Miss, etc. I know that wasn’t directly related, but it does play a small factor with your competition with other conferences.
CHUCK UGA
August 12th, 2011
10:47 pm
“Alabama’s Alabama…and Alabama’s gonna win!”
- Bama fan on a Paul Finebaum Show call-in segment. Spare me.
CHUCK UGA
August 12th, 2011
10:48 pm
Druid City = Class A Idiot.
CHUCK UGA
August 12th, 2011
10:49 pm
P.S. I am referring to Page 1 regarding “everyone fed up with UGA.” Whatever.
CHUCK UGA
August 12th, 2011
10:51 pm
I take that back…all of his comments are idiotic. Get clued in…Georgia is a founding member of the SEC. You must be mentally retarded if you think there is any way Georgia would leave (or be asked to leave) the SEC.
GAhorn
August 13th, 2011
8:25 am
Anyone who thinks the aggie is “sticking it to the horns” is crazy. They saw this coming and protected their flank by forming their own tv network. Sorry, but the horns have outsmarted them again.Thus, this is another reason for years and years of aggie jokes..
King Gator
August 13th, 2011
9:18 am
Tx A&M, better than KY and Vandy.. but on par with ARK, Ole Miss, Miss St and Georgia.. not a big deal either way.. but if they join the SEC, welcome aboard and wear a cup this conference is an annual ballbuster! Go Gators!
Rick Siddons
August 13th, 2011
9:23 am
The OKC papers are saying OU more likely to join Colorado in the PAC 10.
Autiger83
August 13th, 2011
9:30 am
I hate this idea. Texas is too far west to be in the SEC. If we HAVE to take in A&M, which I think is about as socially linked to the SEC as say, Virginia Tech, we should take them in, and either kick out Vanderbilt, who is irrelevant, or go get Georgia Tech.
FloridaDawg
August 13th, 2011
9:43 am
Inviting Texas AM will only DILUTE the SEC……..at what point does calling the the southeastern conference the SEC mean anything? It is was a stretch to invite ARK.
This is going to be a downer. Why not invite Boise State to join when they are in Atlanta?
Mobile Dawg
August 13th, 2011
10:09 am
Why not invite teams that make sense and fit, Clemson and FSU. A&M just doesn’t fit.
jim filyaw
August 13th, 2011
10:19 am
berry tramel, the inbred mediocrity who passes for the mouthpiece of the sooners at the daily oklahoman has been whining loudly and long about how the sooners are too good for the s.e.c. and would be a natural fit for the pac-10. he has wet dreams about being mistaken for an alumni of berkeley or stanford. i hope he gets the opportunity to see just what the west coast ivy league thinks of the okies and their so-called university. one of his recent comments was that the sooners didn’t want any part of the s.e.c. ‘recruiting culture.’ remember, this is oklahoma, not northwestern, not princeton, not columbia, but the school that practically wrote the book on underhanded recruiting.
Sec rocks
August 13th, 2011
12:13 pm
I cannot believe how many times I have seen Sec fans fudge basic math on this blog. If we land OU and the Agies, only one Alabama school can move east. 8-1=7, 6+1=7. Honestly it’s embarrassing people. Auburn moving east makes since because they would get 4 big rivalry games out of that deal. The Tigers get TN and FL rivalries back and obviously keep Bama in the Iron bowl. The only obstacle is Tennessee objecting to the loss of their annual with Bama. I think they would go for it though because they could pick up OU or Tex A&M as their annual. The reason? TN has always depended on out of state recruiting and playing in Norman or College Station every other year would give them inroads into the rich recruiting pipeline that could help the Vols achieve national prominence again.
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trex
August 14th, 2011
10:13 am
Go you hairy scared little pups. Try and win at least 5 games this year.
Fire Mark Richt
August 14th, 2011
1:27 pm
OU makes perfect sense, because nothing says Dixie like the windswept plains of Oklahoma. The SEC should pursue BYU next. Meanwhile, the Big XII will try to regroup by plundering the ACC for the likes of Virginia and NC State.
The people who run college football are determined to screw it up beyond all recognition.
JoeFan
August 14th, 2011
5:20 pm
Finally the SEC came to its senses and declined to invite Texas A&M. Maybe it was legal issues that tabled the invitation. No matter, makes no sense from a rivalry and fan perspective for the SEC to expand west of LSU.
Jim
August 14th, 2011
5:37 pm
1. All conferences should be limited to 12 teams.
2. All conferences should be split and play a championship game.
3. All teams in the conferences should play 12 regular season games, 8 conference teams (5 in their division and 4 from the other division) and 3 non conference teams. The two games from the other division has to change each yesr so in three years you play every team in your conference.
4. BCS should be a plus 1 involving the top 4 teams.
a. 1 plays 3 and 2 plays 4 on New Years Day and the two winners play for the championship in two weeks.
b. Bowls bid for these three games and all other bowl games are selected as usual.
Just my two cents worth. The SEC is fine the way it is team wise.
Dave H.
August 14th, 2011
6:02 pm
A&M will still be moving to the SEC.
All along, the SEC has made it clear that A&M courted them, not the other way around. So did anyone really think that the presidents were going to extend an invite BEFORE A&M met on Monday to officially ask for an invite? Nope, the SEC meeting today was orchestrated to clearly document the upcoming order of events, in which A&M will ask for admission to the SEC and receive it, albeit not until 2013 or so. This gives time to debate memeber #14 – and when the choice is made – #14 will also have to officially express its interest in joining the SEC before being extended an invite. There are a lot of legal ramifications involved, and the SEC cannot be found liable of conference poaching.
Superior?
August 15th, 2011
8:44 am
Mark, you have any additional insider info?
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August 15th, 2011
10:20 am
[...] that mean this column, which went ahead and “gave Texas A&M to the SEC,” is no longer to be [...]
Chris
August 15th, 2011
10:25 am
Keep the SEC in the SOUTH! Go get Clemson, GT, UNC, or FSU. Once you start picking teams out of the midwest or southwest you lose that regional quality. We no longer remain the Southeastern conference. We become the conference with mostly teams from the south and a few more.