Texas A&M SEC Expansion: 5 Ways Aggies Help the SEC

Texas A&M is heading east to make the SEC strong even stronger.

Texas A&M is officially going to the SEC, in what will be just first step in SEC expansion. The top conference in college football made it official Sunday, making the Aggies the 13th member of the league.

Despite a heart-wrenching loss to fellow Top-10 team Oklahoma State this weekend, Texas A&M and its fanbase should be pretty happy right now. They’re making a big league move to the best conference in America.

But what about the SEC? Are they really getting much out of this deal?

Here’s why the SEC wanted Texas A&M and why it will prove to be a great move for the conference long term.

A Way into Texas High Schools

The state of Texas lives, breathes and eats football. High school football is king there, so much so that it was dramatized in the novel and TV show Friday Night Lights.

Their football is really like that, just in case you thought it was dramatized a bit.

As a result of this statewide, crazed obsession, Texas has the best high school football players in the country. According to MaxPreps.com, one out of every 10 players ranked in the Top 100 nationally are from Texas. That’s considered a low year.

A game with a Texas university and playing in Texas every couple of years will give SEC teams a huge advantage in recruiting players that they normally would have had more trouble getting.

Now, not only does the SEC have the best football on the field, but they also have access to the best recruiting hotbed in the nation.

Offense Anyone?

I know we all love the SEC for their smash-mouth, shutdown defense. But couldn’t we use some offense?

Texas A&M brings a very powerful offensive punch to an SEC that lacks any great offensive presence with an offense averaging nearly 500 yards of total offense.

Many would say that the reason the SEC lacks the high-flying offenses that other conferences have is the strength and talent it has on the defensive side of the ball. That may be true, but better offense might just be the one thing that will bring even more fans to the most entertaining conference in football.

Legacy + Legacy = More Legacy

The SEC is a conference with many historic, proud programs that have win-or-die cultures. Texas A&M adds nicely to that culture.

Are they an Alabama? No. They have one consensus national championship, which is more than most teams have, and they also won 18 Southwest and Big 12 conference championships.

They also post an impressive .600 winning percentage all time.

A Tough Road Game

Don’t be fooled by what Oklahoma State did this week. College Station is an extremely tough place to play.

The official capacity of Kyle Field is 83,002 Aggies, but it seems like about double that. The Aggies’ home crowd has such a reputation of rowdiness that they act as a kind of mascot, “The 12th Man.”

The SEC is known for its rowdy home environments in places like Gainesville, Tuscaloosa, and Baton Rouge. College Station is a perfect addition.

Texas A&M may not storm dominantly into the SEC in 2012, but any team challenging them on their turf will have a very rough go of it.

Television Pays the Bills

Texas A&M brings TV markets into play for the SEC.

College Station isn’t the biggest of places, but when you consider that it’s surrounded by Houston, Austin and Dallas-Ft. Worth, you begin to realize the value.

Texas A&M is second only to the University of Texas in fanbase size and power in that area, and there are plenty of TV sets to go around.

The SEC will add millions of potential viewers along with the Aggies. They’d be stupid not to do it.