The Ramifications of Texas A&M to the SEC

It had been reported last year by various sports media outlets that Texas A&M was very interested in moving from the Big 12 to the SEC.

While that did not happen, apparently the sentiment hasn’t died, as the rumors have once again resurfaced stronger than before.

The ramifications of such a move would be huge both for the SEC and the Big 12, both of which would be required to add at least one other team to their conference. SEC would have to in order to balance out their conference, whereas the Big 12 would have to just to survive.

Yahoo! Sports has reported that A&M has been in serious talks with the SEC, and that if the SEC did add another team , it would not be another team from the Big 12.

There are really only a few teams the SEC would be interested in. Texas is probably going to go the independent route eventually, and Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will not go anywhere without the other.

Another reason is that the SEC would want to add an eastern team to balance out the halves of their conference. Names like Clemson, Virginia Tech and Florida State come to mind, but the odds of any of those seem to be small.

The Big 12 would have to add a team because otherwise the conference would probably die off, as it would prompt the conference moneymaker Texas to go independent since they’d no longer need to be in the conference with their rival.

There are really few good candidates for such an addition. No one will leave the Big 10 or SEC for the Big 12 because of the lack of TV money, and there are no other teams around that would bring enough TV sets to save the conference.

Boise State and TCU are some options, but neither have a big enough appeal to keep the Big 12 afloat.

Even if the Big 12 could find some way to survive, this move by Texas A&M would also hurt the Big 12 in recruiting by giving the SEC an inroad to the fertile recruiting grounds in Texas. The best players want to play for the best teams, and those just aren’t in the Big 12.

Texas A&M moving to the SEC would be the last nail in the coffin of the Big 12. Texas would do what it wants and leave, and the rest of the teams would be picked up by other conferences.

As a Big 12 fan, I’d hate to see that happen. But it may be inevitable anyway.