Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC? Part 2
Picture by Ronald Martinez, Getty Images. Javorksy “J-Train” Lane throwing the horns down way before it was cool.
Continuing my rant about Texas wanting to join the SEC. If you haven’t read part one, start there. I didn’t hold back on those hypocritical hippies and laid out why Aggies do not want this to happen. But as I stated in part one, I live in reality. And right now, the reality is that this will happen. It’s a matter of when, not if. Oklahoma and Texas have already officially notified the Big 12 they will not be renewing their Grant of Rights after 2025. They are gone, and it ain’t lasting until 2025 either.
There are plenty of reasons why it makes sense for the SEC to make this move. I think there are also some reasons why it doesn’t make sense, but the good outweighs the bad substantially for the conference overall. Now that I’ve had a little more time to digest this news, let’s get into the nitty gritty. My first reaction, as you read, was hell no. Emotions were high but now I can look at it with a little calmer tone.
As much as Texas has become the biggest joke in college football over the last decade, they still have a huge brand. Texas brings in gobs of revenue each year from fans across the nation who can’t locate Austin on a map, and would be a great addition to the conference in many sports, not just football. They compete at a high level, would bring in more revenue for the conference, and increase the SEC’s footprint in one of the most populous states in the U.S. On paper, it makes a ton of sense. Plus, Oklahoma would be yet another massive addition and they seem to be a package deal at this point. The SEC would further expand their geographic footprint and tap into a rabid fanbase overnight, increasing the league's popularity immensely, just as they did a decade ago by adding A&M.
@MichaelWBratton aka SECMike speaking the truth.
So why doesn’t this move make sense, and not just for A&M, but the whole conference? Well, I can tell you from experience, Texas does not work well with others. They helped bring down the Southwest Conference and are now doing the same thing with the Big 12. Oh, and they already tried to leave the Big 12 in the dust for the PAC 12, so this isn’t even the first attempt to leave the burning house they helped light on fire.
Glenn Sattell from Saturday Down South summed it up perfectly when he penned “Texas has acted independently of every conference it has been in, from its own television network on down. Texas doesn’t play well with others. Let the Longhorns become what they are and what they’ve always perceived themselves as: an independent, above all the other peons in their own league.”
The SEC has a good thing going right now. They are the most successful and powerful conference in college sports, and surprisingly the member institutions seem to work well together. I don’t pretend to know all the things going on behind closed doors in the SEC, but I can tell you from the outside it seems to be running quite smoothly. Revenue is shared equally, the conference was in lock step throughout the pandemic, and generally all the schools seem to be pulling in the same direction.
Yes - I’m aware of the rumors swirling that Texas A&M was left in the dark regarding the addition of Texas and OU. I don’t buy that at all, although Sankey definitely seems a little more like a snake today than he did a month ago. But the Aggies are one of the most popular, highest revenue schools in the SEC, not informing them would be bad for business. I understand that Bjork, Jimbo and the athletic department might have been left in the dark because it isn't up to them. This decision is made and voted on by university presidents, not athletic directors. Bjork can object all he wants but at the end of the day he does not get a vote. And from a university president’s perspective, this is a no brainer.
SECMike with more heat. Does Texas have a Johnny Manziel?
That harmony, if you still believe in that, will be immediately shattered when Texas is allowed into the club. They will come in and try to boss everyone around and do what is best for the horns, not the SEC. They are way too arrogant to come in and play well with others. It’s what they have always done and that ain’t changing. It’s the t-sip way. I don’t see that flying in the SEC where Texas is just another guy, but you can bet they’ll do what they can to cause issues and put Texas above the rest of the league.
Those potential pitfalls aside, it’s going to happen so we need to get used to it. The pros outweigh the cons as far as the entire conference is concerned. Plus, if Oklahoma and Texas were not coming to the SEC, they would go somewhere else. The Big 12 was finished as soon as the Sooners and Horns started shopping around. Sankey and the SEC know it’s in their best interest to add these two major brands rather than let them go to a different conference.
On the field, the Aggies competed head to head with Texas and OU for decades, and will be just fine. I think once the transition is complete, it will actually be fun. Does anyone not want to play Texas again? That is a special rivalry and Thanksgiving has not been the same in my household since we quit playing each other.
Let’s look at the bright side here and think how fun it will be to play Texas and OU each year again. Oh, and beat them. That’s the beauty here - we are better than Texas and I like our chances against OU. The Sooners are a different beast than Texas and have a phenomenal coach. Realistically, if Jimbo continues A&M on its current trajectory, I think we split roughly 50/50 with OU. That will be a tough game each year but we better not slip, because the Sooners have been competing at a high level consistently for a long, long time.
Texas is a completely different story. What’s going on in Austin is the biggest mystery in college football. People are saying this move will drastically improve Texas’ recruiting. It may help some, but Texas has been recruiting at an elite level the entire time they’ve wallowed in a decade of mediocrity. They have good players. They will always have good players. Something else is going on. If they knew the answer, they wouldn't be on their 4th coach in the last decade.
While Texas has been a dumpster fire, the Aggies have been building. Texas A&M is ready to take the next step. They know what it takes to win in the SEC, Texas does not. The horns are not built for the week in, week out grind of the SEC and unless this move does not happen until 2024 or 2025, there will be a steep learning curve. Texas could right the ship and get “back” but it will take time. And their patience runs thin on the 40 acres so if they come in and have a couple bad seasons back to back, what happens then? Where do they turn? To yet another coach while A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama, LSU, Florida, Georgia, etc are all rolling? That won’t cut it and I could very easily see that happening, which would delight me to no end. It’s far easier to become a nobody and get lost in the shuffle of the SEC. This is big boy football and you have to bring it every single week, something Texas has not done since Colt McCoy wore burnt orange.
Mike Farrell aka @rivalsmike with my favorite take.
A lot has happened since the Aggies bolted for the SEC in 2012. A&M now has a national championship winning coach. Texas has a career .500 head coach who’s best work was done as a Nick Saban assistant. In case y’all forgot, Jimbo also won a National Championship under Nick Saban in 2003. Then he went and won one himself. He’s got quite the head start on ole Sark. Maybe it works out with Sark, but I’m not convinced.
The Aggies also have two ten win seasons capped off with NY6 bowl game victories. A Heisman trophy. A stadium renovation. Facilities upgrade. Texas A&M is a top 10 program right now in every aspect. This was not the case before joining the SEC. The thought of Texas coming in and surpassing A&M just because they are Texas is laughable. That is the exact attitude and mindset that has sent Texas into a mid tier Big 12 program.
There is a lot of work that needs to be in Austin before the horns can compete in the SEC. A&M has already gone through all those growing pains. If you are a Texas fan, you better pray that Sark has figured it out. Y’all are sending him into the most difficult conference by far, which Texas can no longer deny as they bent the knee to the SEC, with a set of fans and boosters that have run off three coaches recently in a classless manner. Showed Mack Brown the door after everything he had accomplished, claimed they were hiring Urban Meyer mid-season and completely crippled Herman’s ability to coach, recruit, and motivate. Sark is stepping into the proverbial lion’s den. It’s eat or be eaten, and with the renewal of the Texas A&M rival, stakes will be as high as they have ever been. There is no room for error.
I guess the too long, didn’t read version of this second rant could be summed up by saying: I still don’t want Texas in the SEC but if its going to happen anyway, let’s settle it on the field. I’m excited to play the t sips again and be careful what you wish for, Texas. Aggies aren’t scared and will be foaming at the mouth to kick your ass.
I’ll leave you with this video from Johnny Manziel on the matter. I think he sums up what all Aggies are feeling now that the move is inevitable.
