Texas A&M SEC Expansion: What This Means for Texas and the Longhorn Network

Though Texas A&M has officially pried its way out from under Texas' shadow, the Longhorns are still the same iconic university even without its in-state brother.

The SEC officially accepted the Aggies into the conference effective July 1, 2012. Texas and the rest of the Big 12 consistently put in attempts to thwart the Aggies' move eastward, but to no avail.

Some look at Texas' Longhorn Network, a $300 million television deal between the University of Texas and ESPN, as a catalyst for A&M's decision to drop out of the Big 12.

But from the perspective of the Longhorns, they are in position and have the resources to do anything they want. Without the ties to the Aggies, Texas has its options concerning conference realignment, which appears to be on the doorstep of huge changes in the near future.

Pac-X

Last summer, the Pac-10 (now known as the Pac-12) sought out a project that would bring Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State westward, joining up with Utah and Colorado as the newest members of what would have been the Pac-16.

One of the deal-breakers was the Longhorn Network.

In the Big 12, there is no equal revenue sharing, meaning each university takes in what they earn. In the Pac-12, the conference is built on revenue sharing. Had the Longhorns moved westward, they would have forfeited their lucrative deal with ESPN.

That was 2010.

During this summer's round of realignment talks, rumors of the Pac-12 putting in another bid to secure Texas, along with Texas Tech (in place of A&M), Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, sprung up again. This time, however, reports claimed that the Longhorns could keep their network, but it would be turned into a regional asset and forced to undergo a name change, an unlikely situation given the luxurious brand of Texas.

Keeping a really long story short, the deal fell through, and all the cards went back to the original owners.

The ACC

Before and after talks of the Pac-12 looking to secure UT, Tech, OU and OSU, the ACC reportedly crept into the conversation, but with a more independent undertone.

Reports claim that the ACC would have Texas in its conference for everything non-football, meaning the Longhorns would keep the LHN and go independent for football, a la Notre Dame and the Big East.

Travel was less of a concern going eastward than westward. Student-athletes traveling to the ACC would gain an hour on the return trip, whereas crossing one or two time zones to the west meant losing one or two hours coming home—hardly the ideal situation for academic standards.

Long story short, there was much less smoke than originally anticipated.

What Texas Wants

Texas, from its negotiations and actions, seems to want to hold onto the LHN for itself, and it won't be relinquished easily. The Longhorns have 300 millions reasons to do that, every one of which is a legitimate rationale.

After holding their ground with the Pac-12, the Longhorns look set for some sort of run at independence. Whether that comes five years from now or ten years from now, Texas is the only member of the Big 12 capable of doing that right now.

But if Texas is truly all-in for keeping the Big 12 together, it needs Oklahoma on the same page. Together, UT and OU present a powerful combination that can rival any two competing programs in any conference in the country. Play that tune to the likes of a BYU or a Notre Dame and there is reason to believe that the Big 12 can conjure up the type of magic that can keep the conference alive.

Boiling Point

It all can boil down to this. Texas will do what it wants.

If independence is the goal, independence can be had. But if the Longhorns stick to a conference allegiance, holding hands with Oklahoma keeps both universities in a considerable power position.