Link: Aggie site reports a&m to join SEC

BamaFlum

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I thought I read Sunday morning at 10am. I may have read it wrong or missed a post about it moving to Monday. Too much info and misinfo right now being spread.
 

VT89

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Re: Aggie site reports aTm to join SEC (not yet a done deal)

I just want to say I love how deep this is running through Texas. Its a 100+ year rivalry perhaps coming to a climax with a very nasty breakup thats going to be felt all throughout the state.

With Nebraska and Colorado it was like "ok....see ya" but this is bitter.
 

CullmanTide

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Re: Aggie site reports aTm to join SEC (not yet a done deal)

I just want to say I love how deep this is running through Texas. Its a 100+ year rivalry perhaps coming to a climax with a very nasty breakup thats going to be felt all throughout the state.

With Nebraska and Colorado it was like "ok....see ya" but this is bitter.
When Nebraska and Colorado left the arrogant Longhorns boasted "Well it's just more money for us". Now with the prospect of A&M leaving for the SEC, fear is setting in. Almost from day one the Aggies will have become their equal. A&M's status will have improved in the eyes of the nation, especially recruits. Texas meanwhile is gonna come out of this looking like the bad guy. "Gig'em" LOL
 

4Q Basket Case

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Re: Aggie site reports aTm to join SEC (not yet a done deal)

Texas AD DeLoss Dodds after Big 12 conference call, "Everybody wants them (aTm) to stay."
http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/13/deloss-dodds-on-am-everybody-wants-them-to-stay/
Interesting quote. If Texas does in fact want the Aggies to stay, they'll have to divvy up the pie a whole lot more equitably. If they're not serious, or if they're so shortsighted that they let the Aggies go essentially because they wouldn't back down a ladder, well, that's going to be bad for them.

It's a real simple tradeoff: The sips will eat some crow, or the Aggies will end up in the SEC.

The real contest will be: (A) How much crow it will take for the Aggies to stay put vs. (B) The sips' tolerance for admitting fallibility.

My guess is that Texas is dealing with the first no-fooling challenge to their self-perceived birthright, coming from somebody just upset enough not to care. It's coming after a tremendously underachieving losing season. And even that embarrassment was built on patsies. They're blinking like they just got woken up from a sound sleep with a flashlight in their faces. But ESPN money for the Longhorn network hangs in the balance.

Because Texas already has more money and more advantages than anybody other than Notre Dame, I'm guessing Texas throws the Ags just enough bones to keep them compliant, but not anywhere near enough for it to truly sting themselves.

I predict lots of hoo-rah and name calling. But the longer this drags out, the more chance that nothing much changes. My money is on the Aggies staying in the Big 12 - 2.
 

Tex10'

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Re: Aggie site reports aTm to join SEC (not yet a done deal)

Hey guys,

I'm an Aggie alum and Alabama fan who signed up here during the national championship run to get a vibe for the whole thing. I figured with all of this talk going on I could chime in on a few things and hopefully give yall some insight into the mood here in Texas. For the record I was not in the corps, I did not grow up on a farm, am not fervently anti-UTexas, and am for all accounts (reasonably) normal haha.

First and foremost, at least from a student/alum perspective, we do not intend this to be a feign or bluff to twist the Longhorns into getting our way on something. We really want this and truly believe that being part of THE premier sports conference in the world will be huge boon for both A&M and the SEC. If the Administration and the Regents are playing this card again in regards to getting their way towards the Longhorn Network...then I wholeheartedly apologize and can guarantee yall that they will be run over the coals by the former students and current students. People were really really really upset last year when they stuck with the Big 12-2 instead of going to the SEC and they will not tolerate a second year in a row of such antics.

From an A&M standpoint, moving to the SEC is more of a culmination of a decade and half's worth of progress than any short sighted attempt to stick it to UTexas. Since bonfire fell and since Robert Gate's was president this university has grown exponentially and is far from the cowtown agricultural school of East Texas rednecks that it was in the early to mid 90's. Over the past 20 years we have gone from that sterotype to a large, diverse, driven global university. We have sent an Aggie into space and are one of the few land, sea, and space grant universities in America. We have nearly 50,000 students and that's not because we opened the floodgates to all comers, that's 50,000 driven kids with excellent academic, athletic, and leadership capabilities. The corps might be quirky and they will undoubtedly do something ridiculously embarrassing on national TV but never forget that those young men go on to form the largest non-service academy officer corps in the nation with a storied history that no Aggie or American should be embarrassed about (a history that stretches from the Spanish-American War to our current issues in the Middle East and elsewhere; 7 corps members have won the Medal of Honor; the Ross Volunteers who form the personal guard of the Texas Governor; the 55 American flags flown over Kyle Field representing the 55 Aggies/Americans who died in WWI...I hear yall like history and tradition in the SEC, keep all that in mind when you see the corps on TV). Our Greek life (which I also hear you SEC folks enjoy) is among the fastest growing in the nation and I would put the caliber and overall quality of students in our student body against any other student body in the nation. We are a fast growing university with millions in research dollars and are rapidly climbing the ranks of the various academic ranking systems. When I first started in the Geography department it was not ranked, when I left it was a top 10 program. Business, Engineering, Political Science, Petroleum Engineering, I can go on and on...all are rapidly climbing the ranks. Our athletic department has made massive strides since the days when an old UTexas AD joked "they have varsity sports at A&M?!". Now we are home to dozens of Big 12 championships and several national championships. Our weakest link might arguably be football and can you blame us, we're still getting over the disastrous Fran era! But I have no problem with taking some SEC lumps as part of the learning curve if it makes the program better, tougher, and to be in the position of excellence modern Aggies demand of it. I also salivate to think of SEC + A&M baseball...that would just be filthy.

I don't like to hype up A&M's accomplishments to show yall what you get by adding us but more to show you how much the culture here has changed in just a few short years. This isn't you daddy's farmer school known for its football team, bonfire, and inferiority complex in regards to UTexas. This is a diverse, fast paced, globally oriented, modern powerhouse that simply wants to be recognized amongst our peers both athletically and academically. A move to the best conference in the country is less a middle finger to UTexas and more a symbol of our arrival on a national stage, at least to most Aggies. And if we get to stake out on our own and prove to Austin that we are quite capable of doing our own thing...well, I guess that's a fun bonus!

But enough about us. Let's talk SEC. There is some concern that the addition of A&M only waters down the conference and adds very little. We all know about the issue of TV sets and $$$ but let's move past that. A&M brings natural rivalries with both LSU and Arkansas right off the bat and we will surely forge new rivalries in the various sports as the years progress. We like to travel and have a good time and I think yall would be surprised how much energy and enthusiasm you'll see from Aggies at various road games and how much hospitality and good times (not to mention Texas BBQ!) yall will get in College Station. Win or lose I can say with certainty that Kyle Field can hang with the best yall have to offer in terms of stadium experience and noise. Not only will SEC membership be a recruiting boon to us but for yall as well. Arkansas' toughest years came just after it left the SWC, when it was forced to endure the SEC learning curve and no SWC school would schedule it causing them to lose their Texas recruits. Only when UTexas and A&M started playing them again has Arkansas really come on in the past few years. I'm sure A&M will take its lumps, you don't go from Iowa State to Semi-NFL defenses without losing a few games, but we still have the resources and geographic location to ensure we don't completely collapse. A&M might be the brunt of a few jokes at first but, as Arkansas and South Carolina have proven, it would be foolish to sleep on us and think A&M will be forever noncompetitive. And if Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, and Ole Miss want to steal a few recruits out from under Texas Tech and UTexas' doormats, we'll that will be just fine.

I won't truly get excited until I see the signatures on the contract and a formal announcement, remember this time last year it was a "done deal" that we were going to the Pac-16 and then SEC...yet here we are. Still I really hope this all works out and we get to forge our own path alongside yall. Just figured I'd add my .02 and give yall an Aggie's input.

Thanks and (hopefully!) gig'em SEC!
 

RJ YellowHammer

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Re: Aggie site reports aTm to join SEC (not yet a done deal)

I won't truly get excited until I see the signatures on the contract and a formal announcement, remember this time last year it was a "done deal" that we were going to the Pac-16 and then SEC...yet here we are. Still I really hope this all works out and we get to forge our own path alongside yall. Just figured I'd add my .02 and give yall an Aggie's input.

Thanks and (hopefully!) gig'em SEC!
Good to have the input.

After last year, we won't get too excited until the "t's" are crossed and the "i's" are dotted either. But in the event that happens, gig'em and Roll Tide.
 

JDCrimson

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Re: Aggie site reports aTm to join SEC (not yet a done deal)

Here's another problem with the BigXII. I have pretty much read everything that is available on this site regarding this subject. The BigXII has no leadership right now. The media statements by Deloss Dodds, UT AD, outnumber the public statements by the conference commissioner, Dan Beebe, 10-1. Even from a media perspective it appears that UT is the voice for what is going on in the conference. UT has pretty much shoved the conference commissioner to the corner and told him not to speak until told to do so.

To me this speaks volumes about how this conference is being run and that it is more than just the LHN that is sparking TXAM's move.
 

BamaFlum

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Here's another problem with the BigXII. I have pretty much read everything that is available on this site regarding this subject. The BigXII has no leadership right now. The media statements by Deloss Dodds, UT AD, outnumber the public statements by the conference commissioner, Dan Beebe, 10-1. Even from a media perspective it appears that UT is the voice for what is going on in the conference. UT has pretty much shoved the conference commissioner to the corner and told him not to speak until told to do so.

To me this speaks volumes about how this conference is being run and that it is more than just the LHN that is sparking TXAM's move.
Hammer meets nail. :)
 

Tex10'

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Re: Aggie site reports aTm to join SEC (not yet a done deal)

Here's another problem with the BigXII. I have pretty much read everything that is available on this site regarding this subject. The BigXII has no leadership right now. The media statements by Deloss Dodds, UT AD, outnumber the public statements by the conference commissioner, Dan Beebe, 10-1. Even from a media perspective it appears that UT is the voice for what is going on in the conference. UT has pretty much shoved the conference commissioner to the corner and told him not to speak until told to do so.

To me this speaks volumes about how this conference is being run and that it is more than just the LHN that is sparking TXAM's move.
The LHN is the straw that broke the camel's back IMO. From what I understand the regents, along with Perry and a lot of other Aggies were watching the A&M-FSU baseball super regional and every other commercial break they advertised the LHN network. That is when the reality of the situation set in.

UTexas has been the driving force of conference instability since the Big 12's inception. Nebraska was willing to play nice but UTexas threw their weight around and got the league headquarters moved from Kansas City to Dallas. After the Osborne era ended and Nebraska went downhill on the field UTexas really took off. Their only check was Oklahoma and the thing about OU is they are entirely reliant on Texas kids for their program to succeed at a national championship caliber level; they will never leave UTexas' side and strike out on their own. Their situation parallel's Arkansas' post-SWC situation almost to a T.

There has always been a north-south divide in the Big 12 and its always been really stark but when the good times were rolling and everyone was happy and content with the $$$ those problems could be glossed over. But after UTexas won the national championship they started wanting bigger pieces of the pie, convinced (and to a degree rightlyfully so) that they were the reason the Big 12 was a successful conference. Network negotiations and internal fiscal matters became more heated and south conference demands were almost always fulfilled by the Big 12 staff who wanted to placate the golden goose. The real beginning of the end came in the summer of 2009 at Big 12 media days in Dallas which I was lucky enough to take part of as an editor for the Battalion (A&M's student newspaper). This was coming off the 2008-2009 year where is seemed that every weekend there was a #6 v. #10 matchup in the Big 12 and the conference was really riding high. Dan Beebe gave a speech about how the conference has never been stronger and then we all took a tour of the soon to be completed Dallas Cowboy's stadium. Beebe spoke again and announced that the Big 12 was seeking a multiyear deal with Jerry World to perpetually host the Big 12 championship game there. You could tell the Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado guys were not happy. They one thing they had was that the Big 12 championship game went to Kansas City every other year, taking that away was the last straw, why else do you think Nebraska and Colorado put out feelers for membership elsewhere shortly after and shortly after a fantastic overall big 12 season. Nebraska simply wanted to be treated as an equal and Colorado, those poor bastards, they always got the short end of the stick when it came to the Big 12 (not once in the 15 year history of the Big 12 did the championship game get played in Denver, the 4th largest metro area in the Big 12) and were ready to go anywhere else.

We all know what happened last year and part of the deal that kept the Big 12 together was that there was a pledge to make things more equal and forge more cooperation. The window for a LHN was left open but the understanding was that it wouldn't be pursued especially in the immediate aftermath of everything that had happened. Of course we were all wrong, Texas chased the money, made good TV business decisions but the consequences were that they finally alienated the rest of the conference and us so much to the point that Loftin called Slive saying that A&M should have left and will do anything we can to bail and trade the instability and greed of the Big 12 for the stability and partnership of the SEC. And here we are.

I really hope yall president's vote yes for this deal, it would be so good for both A&M and the SEC and every Aggie is holding their breath to see what happens. I'll try to brief my cases and do my readings but...that's going to be pretty dang hard until we have a straight answer. Hopefully not a disappointing.
 

Tex10'

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Re: Aggie site reports aTm to join SEC (not yet a done deal)

Lots of reports that it looks like nothing is happening. Damn...

At least I still get the root for A&M and Bama with no awkward issues of being in the same conference now!
 

BamaFlum

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I believe it is just semantics. Careful reading shows some legalese about "present time" and "now." Look at the way the huskers left. The Big 10+2 didn't invite; the huskers asked to join.
 

TheTradition

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Re: Aggie site reports aTm to join SEC (not yet a done deal)

I have seen some people saying that they had to say this to avoid a possible lawsuit. Don't know how true it is, but I think it would be absolutely hilarious if we reject A&M.

EDIT: Apparently, A&M has to apply first before they are accepted.
 
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CullmanTide

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Re: Aggie site reports aTm to join SEC (not yet a done deal)

I believe it is just semantics. Careful reading shows some legalese about "present time" and "now." Look at the way the huskers left. The Big 10+2 didn't invite; the huskers asked to join.
It has to be done in an orderly and professional manner. Nobody needs or wants litigation.
 

JDCrimson

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Re: Aggie site reports aTm to join SEC (not yet a done deal)

I believe it is just semantics. Careful reading shows some legalese about "present time" and "now." Look at the way the huskers left. The Big 10+2 didn't invite; the huskers asked to join.
That's pretty important right there based on the statements that I read earlier about Slive saying that the SEC didnt want to be considered a precipitating agent in the realignment so as to avoid damages. I would be that membership in the SEC for TXAM would likely require them to indemnify the SEC for any ensuing lawsuits which I am sure there will be if for nothing more than to play dirty pool. If some clause like this is part of the deal, I can see that slowing things down a bit to review the potential $$ liability.

More and more its looking like last year was the year for the TXAM to make the move. But you can bet your mother pearls that if it doesnt happen this time, when its time to start renegotiating the next BigXII TV contract in the next 10 years TXAM wont be a part of that lineup. My guess if it doesnt happen now then, TXAM will resolve to let the amount of damages amortize down over the next 5-7 years and then make the move.
 

Tex10'

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Re: Aggie site reports aTm to join SEC (not yet a done deal)

I will say, doesn't all of this feel like it needs to be more public and transparent that skull and bones closed door meetings? With the exception of Vanderbilt in the SEC and Baylor in the Big 12 all of the institutions in question are public universities. I don't know about yall but it feels like this should be a much more open and civil discussion rather than something that seems more like wartime strategic planning.
 

CullmanTide

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Re: Aggie site reports aTm to join SEC (not yet a done deal)

I will say, doesn't all of this feel like it needs to be more public and transparent that skull and bones closed door meetings? With the exception of Vanderbilt in the SEC and Baylor in the Big 12 all of the institutions in question are public universities. I don't know about yall but it feels like this should be a much more open and civil discussion rather than something that seems more like wartime strategic planning.
Both parties keeping this behind closed doors is why I believe it's not over.