It’s Official: Texas A&M to leave Big XII

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This has been an ongoing discussion among the SFN community for several weeks, but today Texas A&M has made it official.

Yahoo!:

Texas A&M had been in the Big 12 since its founding in 1996.

But the school said it will submit an application to join another, unspecified conference. If it is accepted, Texas A&M will leave the Big 12, effective June 30, 2012.

“We are seeking to generate greater visibility nationwide for Texas A&M and our championship-caliber student-athletes, as well as secure the necessary and stable financial resources to support our athletic and academic programs,” Loftin said in a statement. “This is a 100-year decision that we have addressed carefully and methodically. Texas A&M is an extraordinary institution, and we look forward to what the future may hold for Aggies worldwide.”

ESPN:

“I have determined it is in the best interest of Texas A&M to make application to join another athletic conference,” Loftin, who was authorized by regents to act on behalf of the university regarding conference affiliation on Aug. 15, wrote in a letter to Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe on Wednesday.

Texas A&M previously asked the Big 12 to provide an outline of requirements to leave the league and the Big 12 responded earlier this week.

“We appreciate the Big 12’s willingness to engage in a dialogue to end our relationship through a mutually agreeable settlement,” Loftin said in the release. “We, too, desire that this process be as amicable and prompt as possible and result in a resolution of all outstanding issues, including mutual waivers by Texas A&M and the conference on behalf of all the remaining members.”

Loftin has stated he has no desire for A&M’s “conference exploration” to be “prolonged” but did not offer a timeline for when the Aggies would become members of their new conference.

A few of my own observations:

*We can all recognize parallels between A&M and our own situation. BJD agrees. My personal opinion is that we should do what’s best for N.C. State. The ACC we grew up with will soon look very different, and there’s no reason to suspect we’ll benefit from it, especially if we make the same mistake as last time and raid the Big East (keep in mind, expansion is solely about remaining a viable football presence; basketball is secondary). Regardless, there will be a lot of dissent no matter which course the administration pursues — but other than hating the Flagship, when was the last time State fans were ever united on an issue?

*A few days before the season begins and Texas A&M is one of the headline stories. The timing of this all summer was never incidental. Minimal criticism has been leveled against A&M for trying to be a part of the best conference in college football — would it be the same if we made our own pitch?

*A&M wouldn’t have done this unless they were certain the SEC would accept them. And while I’m impressed by the proactive pursuit by A&M to do what’s best for A&M, I’ve also wondered all along if this will backfire. A&M wants to seperate itself from UT, but Texans exist in their own culture, so the concern would be whether or not this might alienate its Texas base? It’s very possible that the A&M-UT rivalry will end with this move (I’ve seen some commentary suggesting they’d been told to expect this)…perhaps they’re ok with that?

*The SEC may play 2012 with 13 teams, but you can be assured they will eventually expand to 14, and probably 16. Once A&M is officially in the SEC, the next round of expansion will really take off. The Big XII will look to stave off deeper raids by Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin — er, Slive, Scott and Delaney — by, first, keeping Texas and Oklahoma, and then expanding to 10 and eventually 12; possible targets: Air Force, Boise State, BYU, Louisville, Notre Dame, SMU, TCU.

*TCU could make things more interesting, because they’re not officially a member of the Big East yet, and without the Texas TV markets, the new Big East TV deal likely wouldn’t be strong enough to prevent deep raids by the Big Ten — er, B1G — and (to some extent) perhaps the ACC; the Big Ten would likely target interested Big XII schools such as Missouri and Kansas, also look to Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Rutgers, and maybe even Maryland.

Make sure you peruse several newer items on the main blog, and then head over to the forums.

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24 Responses to It’s Official: Texas A&M to leave Big XII

  1. TruthBKnown Returns 08/31/2011 at 1:08 PM #

    So now it’s official. Texas A&M is officially leaving the Big Roman Numerals.

    After they officially denied it the last couple of days.

    I’d like the ACC to remain a viable conference. But I’m afraid we’re going to lose some teams to the SEC (or maybe even the Big Ten). I sure hope Swofford is being proactive about this and ready for whatever happens. In fact, I hope the plan is to bring in more teams that will solidify the ACC as a viable conference going forward. Because more dominoes WILL fall. Count on it.

    The ACC better not wait for that to happen. We need to knock over a few dominoes of our own instead of waiting for the dominoes to knock US over.

    I still think State’s best option is to push for a move to the SEC. But in the meantime, I hope Swofford is working to keep the ACC viable. Not holding my breath on that, though.

  2. TruthBKnown Returns 08/31/2011 at 1:14 PM #

    Any chance the ACC could pursue A&M, ourselves? That would boost football, wouldn’t it? It may make the ACC more appealing to the current members to stay.

  3. JK3 08/31/2011 at 1:23 PM #

    Who are the teams the ACC can realistically pursue that would make the league stronger? There really is only one sure fire bet, and Notre Dame (VERY likely) will not join. Adding the four best Big East teams only makes the conference bigger, but probably not much richer. The ACC can’t take from the Big 10 or the SEC. The ACC is in a bit of a pickle. Would adding any two or four schools from the Big East dramatically increase the school payout after dividing by 16 rather than 12?

    I’m not saying it won’t, btw, just asking questions.

  4. Wulfpack 08/31/2011 at 1:26 PM #

    TAMU wouldn’t have made this move if they thought a move to the SEC would be in jeopardy. I think they know which way the SEC schools will vote – so I say they are in. Nobody of significance is salivating to join the ACC. Just the way it is.

  5. Prowling Woofie 08/31/2011 at 1:29 PM #

    ^^^ Based on travel budgets, I don’t see that happening.

  6. packof81 08/31/2011 at 1:57 PM #

    Texas A&M’s relationship with Univ. of Texas is similar to our relationship with UNC. Sounds like they’ve had enough.

    “Nobody of significance is salivating to join the ACC.”

    No, they aren’t and for good reasons.

  7. gotohe11carolina 08/31/2011 at 2:06 PM #

    and boom goes the dynamite

  8. JK3 08/31/2011 at 2:24 PM #

    Just thinking of teams that could increase the overall value of the conference, and not just grow the size of the conference, but would a foursome of Louisville, Cincy, Memphis and Pitt add enough so that the per-school payout would increase after a renegotiation of the TV contract? Those are some decent markets, as well as some decent rivalries.

    I still don’t think expanding to 16 would be worth it, unless ND were involved, and I’m not 100% convinced yet that everything is moving toward 4 16 super conferences here soon. I could be wrong, though.

  9. CaptainCraptacular 08/31/2011 at 3:00 PM #

    Notes Dame will seriously consider joining a conference when the expected conference payout = X + the.value.of.their.existing.indepedent.NBC.contract+ every.4yr.average.BCS.appearance.payout

    Where X = the unknown value they place on their independent tradition.

    Things may be getting closer to that point than has been the case in the past.

  10. whitefang 08/31/2011 at 3:04 PM #

    I think everything is heading toward 3 16 team super conferences not 4. Perhaps I am pessimistic, but I think there are only a few teams that the ACC could get that would make the 16 way split better than the current 12 (not talking about how the current 12 or more likely 8 will look when this is over).
    We should be talking to the SEC right now. To say otherwise it reminds me of my kid who graduated from college in June when he was looking for a job. Several he would not submit his resume for because he wasn’t sure he wanted to work there (and why would he when he was living off me?). He couldn’t seem to understand that the interview process itself was beneficial he did not have to actually accept the job should it be offered.
    Anyone envision a scenario where the 3 (or maybe 4) super conferences tell the NCAA to pound sand and form their own “super NCAA” run their own bb tourney and bowl system and divide the cash only 48 ways?

  11. sundropdrinker13 08/31/2011 at 3:07 PM #

    Completely remake the ACC.

    NC State
    UNC-CH
    Duke
    Wake
    ECU
    UNCC
    VT
    VA
    Clemson
    USC
    GA
    GT
    FSU
    UF
    USF
    UCF

    12 of these 16 teams played in a bowl game last season, with 6 of them playing against each other. Granted, UNCC does not exist yet, and they would suck on the football side for a little while, but they have always been decent in basketball. Go from VA on down to FL, and stay within these 5 states, also staying with the Atlantic in Atlantic Coast Conference. I know that this would never happen, but just an interesting thought to throw out there.

  12. whitefang 08/31/2011 at 3:12 PM #

    How valuable will Notre Dame’s next TV contract be? Certainly don’t have a feel for that, but they do not appear to be the jewel they once were as far as nationwide fans. Too long mired in mediocrity. The current 20-year olds who will soon be 30 year olds don’t know ND as the football heaven it once we thought to be.

  13. whitefang 08/31/2011 at 3:15 PM #

    Sundrop seriously? We are talking TV money. UNCC, ECU, UCF, and USF do not add additional TV markets therefore they do not increase the split they decrease it. And you believe UF as in Florida would leave the SEC to make $10 million+ LESS?

  14. 61Packer 08/31/2011 at 3:40 PM #

    If State officials ever think that their best option is to push for a move to the SEC, they need to answer four questions: #1 is “Can our football compete better there than here?” #2 is “Will this help our basketball program on a national level?” #3 is “Will this help strengthen the rivalries that bring fans to the games?” And #4 is “Will the LTR seatholders buy into this change?”

    I think the answer to all those questions would be a resounding NO.

    Leaving the ACC would tear up our main ticket to national prominance, which is basketball. Expansion has already helped kill our rivalry with Duke by splitting the Big 4 into two divisions, and leaving the ACC would really be a death blow to our rivalry with UNC. All you SEC wannabees see is $$$$$$. SEC football is and has always been Florida, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee and LSU beating up on Arkansas, South Carolina, Miss, Miss St, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. SEC basketball is and has always been Kentucky beating up on everybody else in that league until spring practice. And outside of UK, nobody in this league is half as serious about basketball as The Big Four, UVA, or Maryland.

    Again- if we aren’t winning at the ACC level, does sane logic indicate we’d do at least as well if not better in the SEC?

  15. whitefang 08/31/2011 at 3:57 PM #

    61 While this personally makes me sick for all the reasons you state, what I have been “hearing” is:
    1. Fans in the seats don’t matter
    2. Wins don’t matter
    3. Basketball doesn’t matter
    4. TV market is all that matters
    What makes me sicker than leaving the ACC is I see a good chance the ACC won’t survive this as a “major” conference. So if the ACC is relegated to Mid-Major status, locked out of the new and improved BCS, and can’t cut a major TV deal then how do we have a ticket to “national prominence” with the ACC?
    No all is see isn’t $$$$$’s, but it is damn hard to survive without a pretty big pile of it.
    As far as expansion hurting rivalries already – AGREE! But IF the ACC survives the coming storm, it will only be through more expansion. I don’t see how anyone can argue with that. And that will further dilute rivalries for sure.

  16. coach13 08/31/2011 at 4:20 PM #

    Expansion and conference re-alignment is already killing tradition, so I’d rather AT LEAST come out on the money side of it. BTW, I love football much more than basketball. Football is the new and greatest american past time…period.

  17. cooldrip 08/31/2011 at 4:20 PM #

    61Packer, my humble rebuttals:

    1) Money and exposure would certainly improve our program. What if we could tell a recruit they will play every game on TV? How many high-level recruits end up at an SC or Arkansas because they aren’t offered by the top SEC programs?

    2) I can’t really see this hurting our basketball program. How significant will a 14-16 team SEC be on the national basketball landscape? The ACC has UNC and Duke, the SEC has UK and UF. I can’t say the middle nad bottom of the SEC is really worse than the ACC.

    3) Rivalries bring fans to games yes, but so do other things. People will show up for a visit by a top 5 Bama or Florida. USC, UGA, and UT seem natural rivals considering proximity. The national spotlight that constantly shines on the SEC can’t hurt fan interest.

    4) See above. My family are LTR/season ticket holders, and I know I would much rather see top-level programs every week than some of the also-rans we now entertain. How much more fun will we have tailgating with the LSU or Bama crowd, compared to say a Duke or BC? How about road trips to places like Oxford or Athens? Honestly the only folks I’ll miss tailgating with are the VT crowd.

    IMO opinion the answer to those questions is a resounding YES!!!

  18. coach13 08/31/2011 at 4:33 PM #

    as much as I wouldn’t mind seeing the Pack head to the SEC, it is not going to happen, so the most realistic topic we can discuss is raiding the big east (finish it off, kill it) and what teams are THE best fit. Pitt, Syracuse and 2 more. I bet the Big XII gets TCU b4 they can get in the BigEast. This is going to end up being a game of chicken as to who folds first, the BigEast or ACC. We might as well gear up, get them, and be happy with being a basketball conference and low end football conference.

  19. whitefang 08/31/2011 at 4:51 PM #

    You are probably right 13, but that is the Mightly Swofford’s job and that putz better damn well already be doing it.
    Still we have nothing to lose by private discussions that “never happened” with the SEC.

  20. Pack1997 08/31/2011 at 5:06 PM #

    Everyone please understand if the ACC ever does expand, there will be no additions who are currently in the State of NC. While we may not like the fact that this UNC Ch conference, we have supported the majority of their decisions. That is one reason the schools outside NC will never allow another school in NC. It is also the reason other schools may decide to leave the conference.

  21. sundropdrinker13 08/31/2011 at 5:16 PM #

    I understand that when talking about the other conferences it is about the TV money. The ACC however is not about the TV money, which it should be in order not to fall into irrelevance. What I proposed is something that old school ACC fans would be more interested in. Geography-wise it fits, so wouldn’t have to travel too far. Rivalries can be maintained. And even though we would lose a little market(MD and BC) the SEC would lose market as well, so we would be able to pick up their lost revenue. I know it’s just a pipe dream, but I just wanted to throw a different thought out there, as all this “should we go SEC if invited or should we not go” talk has been done quite a bit this past month, and I think everyone’s opinion has been stated a few different times. So, just a different avenue of conversation.

  22. Master 08/31/2011 at 9:24 PM #

    Here’s what I don’t hear anyone on this board talking about – how do the traditional powers of the SEC feel about all this expansion? They had teams forever that brawled every weekend for decades and then they started adding teams like Arkansas and South Carolina. That was like the ACC adding Ga. Tech and FSU.

    Now with the possible addition of the SEC adding Texas A&M and possibly others, it will feel like the ACC adding Va Tech and maybe Miami. That might have been OK, but the BC addition was the real outlier because it was so far outside the old south. If the SEC starts adding teams that don’t feel like part of their culture, they may start to resent sharing their hard earned reputation and loot with others.

    Frankly, I never thought the SEC was that much better than the ACC as a conference until the last 6 or 7 years with their leap to the top of the NCAA football world. Will dilution hurt the SEC? The existing members must be wondering about that as much as we felt the dilution from adding VT, UM and BC.

  23. leewolf 08/31/2011 at 9:44 PM #

    If the SEC is interested in going to 14 then we should be positioning ourselves (we being the administration) to be that #14. Being in the SEC is a competitive advantage over our neighbors, would bring in more money which ultimately would allow us to raise the bar for all sports, and would raise our profile nationally.

    The real question is what will Texas do? Texas is the linchpin to mega-expansion. So long as Texas is content to have their own conference with their own network, the Big XII will remain mostly intact (i.e. only one or two teams like Mizzou or the KU/KSU tandem). An intact Big XII means no Pac-16 and likely the Big Ten not going past 14 UNLESS they go after all Big East teams which I don’t see them doing.

    Thus the ACC survives because the Big XII survives. The survival of both leagues in more or less their current forms (and the Big East for that matter) directly depend on the Horns.

  24. LRM 08/31/2011 at 9:52 PM #

    Frankly, I never thought the SEC was that much better than the ACC as a conference until the last 6 or 7 years with their leap to the top of the NCAA football world. Will dilution hurt the SEC?

    I wouldn’t say the SEC leaped to the top of the football world suddenly in the past decade; it was a steady trend since they expanded in the early 90s. Alabama (’92), Florida (’96), and Tennessee (’98) each won national titles in the 90s (Auburn was undefeated in ’93 but on probation).

    But your latter comment is a fair question: it’s something I’ve wondered about, too — can the SEC maintain elite status by eliminating the weekly rivalries that make SEC football so great during October and November? Back around 2000, many “experts” thought the Big XII — with Nebraska a long-time powerhouse, a rejuvenated Texas under Mack Brown and a suddenly-resurgent Oklahoma under Bob Stoops to go with the rise of Kansas State — was the future. Now it’s the SEC in that position, with the Big XII flailing.

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