Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
There were a few fun revelations to come out of Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin's comments following the Board of Regents' decision to give him full authority to make decisions involving the Aggies' conference alignment. Essentially, the board handed Loftin the keys to the car, and allowed him to drive it wherever he wants. The most assumed destination is, of course, the SEC, with talk of a partnership between the two sides reaching deafening levels over the weekend.
Loftin laid out how the process may work and what his options are, now that he's in charge of the Aggies' future. But his comments did contain an interesting nugget about when the SEC talk began (via Chuck Carlton on Twitter).
Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin: He began talks with SEC commissioner MIke Slive on July 21. Has had contact with no offer conferences.
The date is as interesting as it is important. First, July 21 was the second day of SEC Media Days, so Loftin reached out to the SEC while it was revving up the hype machine and standing in the national spotlight. And just a day before, SEC commissioner Mike Slive had the following to say about expansion.
"I could get to 16 (teams) in 15 minutes."
It was an offhand remark and somewhat of a joke, but looking back, it seems as though it acted as a bug zapper for Texas A&M. The timing is likely coincidental, but that doesn't make it any less interesting.
One day after Slive joked about expansion, the Aggies extended a hand. Now, less than a month later, the process is moving forward, and Texas A&M could end up in the SEC by the time it's all said and done.
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Comments
Texas A and M has losing record all 6 BCS Conferences this Century
39 percent vs The SEC all-time, Texas A and M this Century is 0-6.
Other sports ?
This is The Sport, and Texas A and M simply has not been any good this entire Century.
How in the world is a football program who has a Losing Record vs the weak Big XII this Century covering every game all the way back to 2000, going to be number 7 or so in The SEC when you have yet to beat any SEC team in 11 years running ?
I can appreciate how it would benefit Texas A and M, but for the life of me – with only 4 NO VOTES required to block Texas A and M from getting into their desired SEC Conference – I cannot see how Georgia would vote for it, South Carolina would vote for it, Florida would vote for it, Kentucky would vote for it and who knows how many others in The SEC would not vote favorably as well. You have nice fans, your blogs are limited to discussions they agree with, your fans turn out to games in College Station (2 hours from Houston and 2 hours from Dallas) but what percentage of TV sets of the 25 million people in Texas turn on their TV to watch Texas A and M get their brains beat in this entire Century by all 6 BCS Conferences. And, while it is true that Texas A and M would enhance your own recruiting, the facts remain that The SEC already out-recruits Texas A and M in the state of Texas, as everyone else out-recruits Texas A and M in the State of Texas as well.
I think TV and Recruiting is Texas A and M, therefore, talking.
Might be good for you, but if 4 of us vote NO, you are out no matter how over-inflated your ego thinking you are something great in football. For Heavens’ Sake, you have a LOSING RECORD vs the weak Big XII over this entire Century.
How will you do vs The SEC, not in other sports, but in FOOTBALL ?
You are out-recruited by half The SEC, all-time sit behind half The SEC, this Century are # 52 in Wins nationally, and so you brag you are about number 7 then in The SEC coming in.
Georgia is number 7 in The SEC and you don’t measure up to us at any of these areas you brag about as reasons why Texas A and M belongs in The SEC.
You are, by your own admissions, about mid-pack in The SEC, and for that, we are to allow only you – not you and Choke-la-homa, only you – to join us without 4 SEC schools voting NO.
If any 4 of the 12 vote NO, you are out, no matter how much you want to whine you want into The SEC.
1,000 miles for recruits from Texas to have their parents drive to watch Texas players play vs SEC Teams ?
25 million population, none of whom care about watching LOSING FOOTBALL, are all supposed to all of a sudden, turn their TV sets on to watch Texas A and M get their brains kicked in by The Premier Conference because you have a LOSING RECORD in the weak Big XII over this entire Century and 39 percent win percentage all-time vs SEC ?
You read this wrongly. The SEC could get to 16 teams any ole day we want. We are The SEC. Read it correctly. Texas A and M has not proven to me that you watch TV to watch your team LOSE, that you recruit as well as The SEC already in the state of Texas, or that you can beat the weak Big XII, let alone The Mighty SEC.
Must be tough waking up and finding out we really don’t care about Texas A and M.
by Thomas Brown UGA on Aug 16, 2011 7:50 AM EDT reply actions
You are definitely in the minority.
If you poll SEC fans I bet over 80% of us want them in. And based on UGA’s last several seasons I don’t believe you have much room to talk about winning football. I don’t think they will be anyones wipping boy.
by burmbuster on Aug 16, 2011 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions
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