The college football landscape has always been pliable. Recently, the sport has witnessed major shifts in traditional powers moving from conference to conference. Texas A&M and the SEC look finally ready to make a move.
The SEC has been the most powerful conference in the country for quite some time. The latest string of five consecutive national champions proves that the conference has become the most prominent conference in the country.
When the latest round of expansion and conference shifts occurred a year ago, the SEC sat patiently and waited to see if expansion was a move that they needed to make. This season it appears the conference is open to moving to an expanded format and add additional teams.
Texas A&M has been at the forefront of the expansion discussion since last season but it finally looks as if the conference is ready to extend an invitation to the Aggies. The assumption is that the Aggies will accept the invitation and formally join the SEC sometime this week.
With the move being imminent for the Aggies questions begin to show. The most important questions for anyone to ask are what is there to gain for the Aggies and the SEC with the expansion, which of the two parties gain more and will the SEC stop at 13 or add another team to the conference.
A 14th team seems to be logical in the future, but for now let’s take a look at what the Aggies bring to the SEC and what the SEC brings to the Aggies.
What Do the Aggies Gain From Joining the SEC?
The first piece of the puzzle for the Aggies is respect. The minute the Aggies jump to the SEC they become a part of the nation’s elite. Not to say that the Big 12 has not been a powerful conference in the past but the SEC is the cream of the crop.
Texas A&M already has a lot of respect across the country. That is apparent by their No. 9 and No. 8 rankings in the preseason coaches and AP polls. Despite their top 10 ranking, there is not a lot of talk about their ability to contend in the end for the national title.
A lot of the reasoning behind the omission could come from them sharing the conference with the consensus No. 1 team the Oklahoma Sooners, but the most likely elephant in the room is Texas.
The Aggies will finally have the opportunity to escape the proverbial shadow that the University of Texas seems to have cast over College Station.
The Aggies also gain television time. While a part of the SEC, Texas A&M will join the SEC Network and likely have 11 of 12 games televised. The Aggies have a national reach and a large local following. College Station is near Houston, Dallas and San Antonio which helps push the reach of the Aggies to major television markets.
Joining the SEC and its network also pushes A&M away from the Longhorn Network. There isn’t a doubt that the formation of a Texas only network was the last straw.
The Aggies final major incentive to join the SEC is shared revenue. Yes, the Big 12 just recently changed their revenue policy to make it more robust for member institutions. That is until the Longhorns developed their own network and changed the game for the conference.
While the Longhorn Network did not lower the returns for the rest of the conference, it surely increased its own by a sizable chunk.
What the Aggies gain in the next few years with the television contracts and bowl earnings from the SEC will be a large increase over anything the Big 12 can offer and it puts them on a more equal monetary playing field with their biggest rival.
Many fans worry about the possible loss of the rivalry between Texas and Texas A&M. In my opinion it just got stronger. This rivalry won’t end anytime soon I am sure. This just adds to the pageantry.
What Does the SEC Gain From Adding the Aggies?
Where it stands today the SEC is undoubtedly the leading conference in college football. There is a laundry list of reasons to argue the SEC dominance, but that discussion is for another day.
This discussion runs much deeper that football, well into other athletic programs and even academics. The SEC and the Aggies know that this change will affect numerous people and the world of college athletics.
So what exactly does the SEC stand to gain by adding Texas A&M? If the conference is at an all-time high and they are better than ever why add an additional team?
The SEC needs to add an additional team before they are seemingly forced to. The conference has been at the leading edge of change in college football before and looks to lead the way as the expansion talks heat up again.
The future of college football looks to be headed to “super” conferences with 14 to 16 teams per conference. If the SEC wants to stay ahead of the game in television contracts and in talent, they have to be the Jones’ not try and keep up with them.
Texas A&M brings a unique value to the conference. The school brings a national presence and a large television market with the three major cities that surround College Station. Texas is no doubt a big orange state, but there is plenty of maroon and white to go around as well.
Texas A&M also brings a great academic tradition to the conference. The Aggies are a multi grant University that allows for a wide range of exposure and discovery for students.
The Aggies will also open up the state of Texas to more SEC schools for recruiting. I know that recruiting may seem like a small piece of the puzzle for the conference but the best athletes make for the best athletic programs. The SEC wants to win as winning is good for business. Recruiting matters end of story.
The addition of the Aggies will also add to the list of rivalry games that the conference boasts. Instant classics will begin between teams like LSU and Arkansas.
The Aggies will also assume to bring additional revenue to the conference. With the addition of the Aggies to the conference the assumption will be made that the SEC will add an additional consistent bowl team. Bowl appearances bring revenue to the teams and the conference.
So Where Does the SEC Go From Here?
What the SEC has to have on the agenda at this point is whether or not they will become a 14-team conference. The plan may even be to expand to 16, but that seems less likely than a two-team expansion.
The assumption is that the SEC is looking for an additional member outside of the Aggies to add to the Eastern Division of the conference. Schools like Florida State and Clemson are popular names that have been added to the list, but those additions don’t seem likely.
It appears that current members Florida, Georgia and South Carolina want to remain the sole member institutions in their respective states. That leaves teams like North Carolina, West Virginia, N.C. State and Virginia Tech.
Of all the possibilities that are most likely to occur, I would expect N.C. State. Virginia Tech is likely the most sought after pick for the SEC and the fans of the conference, but asking the Hokies to leave a conference where they are the big dog to join a conference and become a regular is not logical. The Hokies are most likely to stay in the ACC where they can consistently finish on top.
Are there discussions between the SEC and any other school regarding expansion? It seems likely. It also would appear logical for the conference to be seeking out an eastern team to add and balance the conference.
One thing is for sure, the landscape is changing and the SEC is likely to be on the leading edge once again.
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