Leaving the Big 12: 5 Reasons It's a Bad Move

The Texas A&M Aggies have informed the Big 12 of their intention to leave the conference and seek membership elsewhere. This is not good news for college athletic fans. 

I understand the business side of this move. A&M feels the newly formed Longhorn Network makes the hated Texas Longhorns too powerful and gives them too big of an edge.

Also, there will be more high profile games if A&M joins the SEC.

After the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns, the rest of the Big 12 really does not grab many headlines. Teams like Texas Tech, Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, etc. are nowhere near the prestige of SEC schools.

The SEC features LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Georgia.

However, purely from a fan perspective, this is not a good move.

Here are five reasons why.

1. Texas A&M's Potential Replacement (or Non-Replacement)

When Texas A&M leaves the Big 12, it will leave the Big 12 one more school away from their namesake.

This means one of two things will happen; either the Big 12 stays at nine schools, or they will look to add.

Neither of these options are very exciting as a fan.

Only having nine schools in your conference means an extra non-conference game on the schedule. Non-conference games in college sports are not only often the least profitable for colleges, they are also the least exciting for the fans.

Also, it is tough to get one good, high-profile match-up, much less having to find yet another one. 

I am a Texas Tech Red Raider fan, and I am not too excited about our matchup against the Texas State Bobcats. 

Are those in Stillwater, Oklahoma excited for the game against Louisiana?

I doubt Aggie fans are pumped for SMU and Idaho.

Kansas State has some fierce competition with their games against Eastern Kentucky and Kent State.

Normally there is one somewhat exciting non-conference game. And even then, it is nothing too special.

The Big 12 may also decide to add a school.

The list of schools looking to join are not all that great.

The Houston Cougars, Rice Owls and SMU Mustangs are among a laundry list of universities looking at joining the Big 12 conference.

None of those schools really add much excitement for fans to get ready for.

Houston and SMU both do not have the prestige they once had a couple of decades ago and Rice never really had prestige (except in academics and baseball).

Schools like BYU, Pitt and TCU have been speculated to have interest.

BYU and Pitt make absolutely no since geographically.

And it will take an act of congress to get TCU to leave the Big East.

2. Tradition Is a Good Thing in Sports

Politically, I am pretty liberal. I often do not like the normal "it is traditional" type arguments you hear from conservatives.

However, when it comes to sports, traditions are very important and are exciting. 

The Aggies have a good rivalry going on with annual match-ups against the Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Tech Red Raiders. 

These rivalries are well known and are very popular and exciting for fans. 

Yes, the Aggies can start a new tradition with teams in the SEC but I am a firm believer that you just cannot force rivalries to start. They just have to happen and need time to flourish.

The Aggies already have some good rivalries happening, and there are games that even non-Aggie fans (like myself) want to watch.

Leaving the Big 12 is going to kill these traditions.

I am not going to be too intrigued by the A&M match-ups against SEC schools.

I do think they will eventually try to "renew" their rivalries with schools like Texas and Texas Tech. However, they will lose their importance.

Losing against Texas now, means potentially losing their conference and their whole season is lost.

Losing against Texas in a non-conference game does not have the same impact.

Rivalry games must have importance or they lose a good amount of their luster.

3. Everything's Better in Texas, Especially the Football

This slide will kind of play off the last side.

Leaving the Big 12 means leaving annual games against in-state rivals, and in-state rivalries are just way more exciting than other rivalries. Or at least, close(r) proximity schools have better rivalries.

The Big 12 has a good assortment of Texas schools that all have growing rivalries among them.

With A&M leaving, those schools (Texas Tech, Texas and Baylor) lose a big game on their schedule.

It would be bad for these schools' pocketbooks and fanbases.

Also, football is king in Texas.

From every level in grade school, to high school football, to college, it is what Texas knows best.

If A&M leaves the conference, the state loses a huge staple in its popular college football matchups.

4. Aggies Go from Conference Powerhouse to Bottom of Conference

The SEC is full of teams that are constantly very competitive. Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, LSU and more recently Mississippi State and South Carolina.

The Big 12 has Texas and Oklahoma, and after that, there is a revolving door of contenders.

Texas Tech comes and goes, and so do Oklahoma State, Missouri, Kansas State, etc.

And in the end, OU or UT end up winning the conference.

We got a very good glimpse in the Cotton Bowl last season of how A&M stacks against those elite SEC schools.

They got a beat down from LSU.

For Aggie fans, get ready for a few years of .500 football because the conference schedule will be brutal.

5. Fans of Other Big 12 Schools

Teams like Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas State and Missouri really have a home in the Big 12, and if A&M leaves, their home will become less stable.

They will have to try to find another non-conference school to play, and that game will be worse for the fans and the school.

They need to keep the Big 12 at its current setup.

This also means they will lose all leverage in the conference against Texas and Oklahoma. This means less revenue sharing opportunities because both the big dog powerhouse schools (just Texas and Oklahoma) will have all the power.

In the end, the conference needs A&M to stay.

If they leave, the conference will crumble.

A lot people think the conference can survive on just OU and UT.

But I do not think this.

The financial security of the league will go down as they lose the revenue that A&M brings to the table, and teams like Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and OU will look to find new conferences to call home.