Originally posted at PlaymakerOnline.com:
Rick Perry is making a lot of headlines across the country, particularly in Washington D.C. where his entry into the presidential race seems almost inevitable. Every one of his moves is being analyzed to see if and when he will announce his candidacy for President of the United States.
But yesterday, the focus on Perry shifted into the sports world. Granted, he’s always had his foot in the sports arena considering he is a former yell leader at Texas A&M and has hosted George Bush and George W. Bush at games, but yesterday was different. With the Texas Longhorns creating inner turmoil in the 10-team Big 12 with their moves using the Longhorn Network to create a bigger national presence, not to mention a bigger one in Texas where they already hold a significant recruiting advantage, rumors are starting up again that the Aggies may bolt the Big 12 for the SEC. When asked by the Dallas Morning-News about the possible move, Perry confirmed that the university is discussing the possibilities:
“I’ll be real honest with you. I just read about [Texas A&M moving to the SEC] the same time as y’all did. … As far as I know, conversations are being had. That’s frankly all I know. I just refer you to the university and the decision makers over there.”
-Rick Perry
I can somewhat understand the gripes that the Aggies have. Even though they’re the superior team in a lot of sports compared to the Horns right now, they feel like they’re getting the short end of the stick compared to their rivals in Austin. But here’s the reality: the University of Texas commands the attention of the whole state and every major market in it in a way that no other university does. Much of it has to do with it’s success like national les, conference championships, big-name coaches, and superstar athletes that everyone wants to see before they go pro.
Compare that to what’s going on in College Station. The Texas A&M football team hasn’t won a bowl game since 2001. They haven’t appeared in a BCS game since 1998. The men’s basketball team has been to the Sweet 16 twice since 1980. They’ve had just two College World Series appearances as a member of the Big 12. The women’s basketball team won a national championship and that’s great. I took great pleasure in covering their rise to the top, but that’s not a money-maker for the school and doesn’t do much for it’s national recognition.
The Aggies have some sort of delusion of grandeur that it would be better for them to go to the SEC even though they got a favorable slice of revenue sharing in the latest deal to keep the Big 12 together. The Horns have an “unfair” recruiting advantage in Texas? How would the Aggies do recruiting in SEC country when they have to deal with LSU in Louisiana, Bama and Auburn in Alabama and all those schools in Florida? My guess is it would get really ugly before it ever got better in Aggieland. And while A&M probably wouldn’t have any problems selling football tickets bringing SEC teams to Kyle Field, what about all the other sports that will lose the rivalries and the enthusiasm for years before developing new ones in a new conference?
I’m willing to bet that the Longhorns and every other team in the Big 12 will call Texas A&M’s bluff on this one. Go ahead. See what happens if you leave the conference. We’ll pay off TCU’s penalty for leaving their conference and get them to join the Big 12 or we’ll bring in another school that would love a revenue share of what the rest of the conference brings in thanks to the new national exposure that Texas is getting with it’s new network.
I’ll believe it when I see it.
Well, you're wrong. You're willing to bet something that has been disproved just this last week when Tech gave the finger to espn. The deal that the SEC will get in the coming years will be more than the Big 12 could provide and it will have equal revenue sharing - something the sips are too arrogant to accept.
Did you do any research before you started angrily typing about "Aggie"?
LSU isn't a "new" rivalry for A&M, either.
This article is full of fail.
I just don't understand why they came back for this year if it is such a big deal. Just to be passive aggressive about it?
Because the Big 12-2 offered money to save the conference. Now that the truth of the lhn is that they want to show HS games and multiple conference games on the lhn apparently it's too much.
We'll be gone soon. I'd prefer to wait until after this season, but if they announce it on August 22nd after the BOR meets, then so be it.
The Big 12-2 is as good as dead, and the blood is on the hands of espn/tu.
Enough of the regents were satisfied to get an equal share of the B12 TV money with Texas & OU, so that and fears over the bad press of being the ones who (would have) killed the big 12 led them to stay. They knew the longhorn network was coming, but I think they underestimated how big a cash cow (pardon the pun) it would be. Now that the details are known, the sentiment has changed. JMO at least.........
So aside from a few million a year and being spared the horror of associating with an ins ution that shows high school games on it's network, what's really in a move for the Aggies?
Pride?
I wouldn't hold my breath waiting to see if TCU would be interested in replacing A&M in the big 12. A lot easier to get to the BCS going through Miami and Syracuse than Oklahoma and Texas.
Pride is definitely a big part of it.
I think there's also a belief that if they go to the SEC they've got a better chance at being able to recruit with Texas. Texas would have their network to sell, A&M would be able to sell getting to play in the best football conference in America and the state of Texas at the same time.
Is that biting off more than they can chew? Entirely possible.
Last edited by coyotes_geek; 08-11-2011 at 01:40 PM.
haha wow, that's sad.
pretty much.
what's stupid is that they will most likely win the conference this year.
what's even more ridiculously stupid is that if the ball bounces the right way here and there, they could actually be in the national le game.
They leave next year and they become the new Arkansas of the SEC.
me neither.
TCU has a good set up in the Big East.
Yep. If A&M bolts I do think it's the end of the conference.
EDIT: I'll soften my stance on this. If A&M bolts, Texas will choose between A) going independent which kills the conference or B) finding a creampuff to replace A&M and keep the 10 team conference.
Last edited by coyotes_geek; 08-11-2011 at 03:03 PM.
a bit melodramatic.
TCU wouldn't even want to be in the Mack12. If I'm Tech or Oklahoma State then I'm hoping for A&M to bolt and then do everything possible to get into the PAC where the conference is run correctly, fairly and far away from the Longhorns who potentially destroy every conference they're in with their extreme arrogance and sense of en lement.
neh, I like Tech being in a small conference of 10 teams.....better chance to win it some day.
Also, with UT and OU in the conference, a run of the table most likely means a trip to the le game.
What's wrong with what I said?
It differentiates us from texas. If they run HS games that's a massive recruiting advantage - we have to do something to separate ourselves from them. If we're in the same conference as a team that has their own network showing their HS games on TV, who would commit to A&M? Going to the SEC makes a difference.
Could be about ~$9 million more/year with the future SEC contract than what the b12 offered.
some people like being bent over and ed in the ass, i get it.
why do you think going to the SEC would negate the recruiting advantage of the LHN?
that's a bit strong.
who is getting ed in the ass?
is the opportunity to get ass ed on a weekly basis the reason why Aggie fan wants desperately to go the SEC?
It wouldn't, but it would increase our advantage and make it more of a level playing field.
Plus, this is only the beginning, if the longhorns get away with this and everyone bows down and gets on their knees for them then who knows what's next. They will do whatever they want with no regard to the conference and that isn't necessarily a team you want to partner yourself with.
This whole conference minus Texas is tbh.
I love the fact that OU is preseason number 1 and no one is talking about them due to lhn and a&m to the sec
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