Texas A&M, SEC Expansion: Aggies Will Become Football Powerhouse

Texas A&M is finally heading to the Southeastern Conference after having the move delayed by threats of legal action from fellow Big 12 schools. With those problems seemingly resolved, the Aggies are set to become the 13th member of the SEC next July.

Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com posted a terrific piece about the move being finalized.

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Texas A&M took the last laugh on Sunday. After a century or so of being disrespected, teased, mocked and scorned, the Aggies had enough. How else to explain that the school would leave all that it left behind?

The Aggies are McFly in "Back to the Future," Private Pyle in "Full Metal Jacket." They snapped. Texas A&M partisans and everyone else who believes that Texas got too big for its hand-tooled boots will argue about whom to blame for as long as Reveille barks at Bevo.

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Maisel is right. The Aggies were tired of living in the shadow of the mighty Longhorns and decided to forge their own path to greatness.

It's a path that includes the premier football conference in the nation. A conference that will not only raise A&M's credibility among the casual college football fan, but more importantly among recruits. The move gives the Aggies an advantage when it comes to recruiting in the football-rich state of Texas.

There is going to be a transition period, so supporters will need to temper expectations in the short term. However, over the long haul the move should allow Texas A&M to become a football superpower.

Head coach Mike Sherman has built a strong foundation at College Station—one that allowed the Aggies to crack to top 10 until losing to Oklahoma State over the weekend.

Now it's time to start taking the program to the next level. The coaching staff is now able to walk into an elite recruit's living room and tell him that playing in the SEC will give him the most exposure of any conference in the nation.

Texas can't say that. Texas Tech can't say that.

And that's why Texas A&M made the move. The Aggies were tired of sharing the spotlight with their Lone Star State neighbors. Leaving the Big 12 ensures that won't happen for much longer.

It's going to take some time, there's no avoiding that fact. However, if the fans can have even an ounce of patience, over the next decade the school they support with every bit of energy they have will become one of the nation's best football schools.

Maybe that will force the Longhorns to finally hear the “Midnight Yell.”