A&M Leaving Big 12

[Muhast]

I'd love for the SEC to kick out Vandy and Ole Miss and grab Oklahoma and A&M

 

[Cythim]

I'd rather join the Pac 12 simply because the only sports they are good at are soccer, softball, and rowing. Why does Stanford win the Director's Cup every year? Because they recruit the sports no one cares about.

My first choice would be to rebuild the Big 12 into a stronger conference, but if UT doesn't want that then I see no other option. Playing the SEC would give us more national exposure, but I think we would struggle to remain relevant in such a powerful conference.

 

[StylisticS]

You are really misrepresenting the events that transpired.

Arkansas had begun to lose their recruiting foothold in this state in the mid-80s due to A&M's resurgence and Texas still being Texas, which was reflected in them getting pounded regularly in their final two years of SWC play. Arkansas' brass felt that their recruiting would improve if they got out from the shadow of the state schools and moved to the prestigious SEC, but as it turned out it onyl hurt their recruiting even more. In hindsight, it was a poor decision on their part. 20 years later and all they have to show for their efforts are three blowout losses in the SEC title game and only four years with fewer than five losses. Once a powerful program, they have been reduced to competing for whatever scraps LSU, Bama, Florida, Auburn, etc. see fit to throw their way.

As for A&M and Texas, they were literally days away from signing with the SEC both in 1991 and 1994 and both times the Texas legislature threatened to cut their state funding if they didnt agree to stay with poor ol' Tech and Baylor and keep them afloat.

Thats not entirely true. Texas had no intentions on going to the sec.

 

[The30YardSlant]

Thats not entirely true. Texas had no intentions on going to the sec.

When the SWC was breaking up they did. A& and Texas wanted to stay together in either the Big 10 or SEC, looked to be headed to the SEC and then Ann Richards and Bob Bullock put a stop to it.

 

[StylisticS]

When the SWC was breaking up they did. A& and Texas wanted to stay together in either the Big 10 or SEC, looked to be headed to the SEC and then Ann Richards and Bob Bullock put a stop to it.

Thats not what I got out of the articles. What I've read is that Texas wanted pac 10 first and big 10 second. Texas had no desire to go to the sec.

 

[MC KAos]

Thats not what I got out of the articles. What I've read is that Texas wanted pac 10 first and big 10 second. Texas had no desire to go to the sec.

That was last year I think, not the 90's time

 

[StylisticS]

That was last year I think, not the 90's time

Nope. This was the 90s.
http://www.baylorfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83536&page=1

 

[burmafrd]

TAMU is talking about this to get TU to kill their plans for the showing of high school games on the network.

TAMU does not want to leave the Big 12 rivalries it has. Arkansas did and look at their recruiting results.

They can't recruit anyone out of Dallas at all now here yet they dominated here as a SWC school.

OU almost certainly won't leave. Recruiting again is the main reason amd they have a very strong class incoming.

People want to keep as many games in Texas as possible.

As a Techsan I am all for TAMU and OU bolting. Let Tech go tell recruits how we play more games in Texas than either and the recruiting rankings will change mightily.

TAMU and OU have solid positions in the big 12. Moving to the SEC means battling teams just as talented and just as well coached week in and week out and only a loon wants to do that. Any Aggie fans wanting to move are basically proving that Aggies are only smart enough to gig frogs. They are just now getting strong enough to win in the Big 12 and they want to go sell the SEC to Texas kids as the lone Texas school?

OU spent years in the Big 8 struggling to recruit Texas, joined the Big 12 and quickly became a recruiting powerhouse again. Anyone think they really want to move to the SEC?

Force TU to adapt but don't bail and let Texas have an even easier road to the national title game every year. That's insane.

BTW, watch for a possible Notre Dame Big 12 signing. Notre Dame is not that solid an independent and would like the kind of deal Texas has with the Big 12 just fine. Especially if they can join as TAMU leaves. Notre Dame was a powerhouse when they recruited Texas well. They pulled Tim Brown out of Dallas.

spoken by someone who has no idea about Notre Dame. It would take a virtual act of god before ND joins ANY conference. The Last AD that really even spoke much about it got reamed by the University board real bad. The big money Alumni are dead set against it- and money talks. Not to mention that about 80% of the alumni would hate it anyway. No real chance at all baring some huge change in the sports world.

 

[joseephuss]

spoken by someone who has no idea about Notre Dame. It would take a virtual act of god before ND joins ANY conference. The Last AD that really even spoke much about it got reamed by the University board real bad. The big money Alumni are dead set against it- and money talks. Not to mention that about 80% of the alumni would hate it anyway. No real chance at all baring some huge change in the sports world.

By huge change, you mean like Notre Dame actually being good.

 

[jterrell]

Yeah, but JT, I don't think this is about going where you can win the most games. A&M would be almost guaranteed to win more games in the Big 12, but the SEC would pay them more money. They might do it for financial reasons alone... Or at least primarily.

You don't think a bunch of Houston and Dallas kids would want to play in the best league in the country every week? I kind of do.

BTW, I went to Arkansas my freshman year and I sort of hated to see them join the SEC. That said, I can see why they did it. But the difference is, they needed to play in Texas to recruit in Texas. A&M is already there (here).

And back to OU, I know they don't want to leave the Big 12. But if they think UT is going independent and the entire league is going to fall apart, they'd eventually have to go somewhere anyway.

TAMU needs games in Austin and Dallas to maintain recruiting.

It is not just being in Texas it is playing before the home crowds in big cities.

Any idea how bad it would hurt Texas/OU recruiting if they didn't have the Texas/OU game in Dallas?

TAMU is here yes but Bryan is a tiny college town. It is close enough to Houston but that's it.

And money-wise I do not think the SEC will pay better. Not more than marginally so. It is much easier for TAMU to stay in the Big 12 and earn the bowl bonus cash.

TAMU would quickly become one of the schools with the harshest entrance requirements in the SEC.

OU is closer to Dallas than TAMU. Arkansas is nearly equal.

TAMU seems intent on leaving but they will mightily regret it once the recruiting reality sets in.

 

[Dawgs0916]

This is horrible for Tech, theres no if and or buts about it. And I am desperately hoping it doesn't happen.

They are saying if A&M leaves, they would play with 9 teams. We would become a laughingstock of a conference.

 

[jterrell]

spoken by someone who has no idea about Notre Dame. It would take a virtual act of god before ND joins ANY conference. The Last AD that really even spoke much about it got reamed by the University board real bad. The big money Alumni are dead set against it- and money talks. Not to mention that about 80% of the alumni would hate it anyway. No real chance at all baring some huge change in the sports world.

That is not true at all....

Notre Dame now is pushing towards joining a conference. They already did for non-football sports.

Notre Dame would only join if they get a sweetheart deal and what conference has a precedent for paying one school more money plus allowing them to keep rights to their tapes? the Big 12.

The year Notre Dame joins the Big 12 they finish ahead of UT for the first time in years in recruiting. Notre Dame already travels a good deal so the travel wouldn't bother them and the recruiting returns them to glory before they lose all relevance in football.

Money is nice but you build money by winning. Notre Dame football has been a joke for most of the past decade. It is hardly what it was in the 1980's when it recruited Texas and Florida well.

Notre Dame joins the Big 12 and is once again can steal kids out of Penn, Ohio, Michigan as well as recruit Texas. Notre Dame is currently ranked one spot ahead of Texas Tech for 2011 recruiting by rivals.

 

[The30YardSlant]

spoken by someone who has no idea about Notre Dame. It would take a virtual act of god before ND joins ANY conference. The Last AD that really even spoke much about it got reamed by the University board real bad. The big money Alumni are dead set against it- and money talks. Not to mention that about 80% of the alumni would hate it anyway. No real chance at all baring some huge change in the sports world.

This. The Big 10 has been trying to get ND to join for over thirty years, and they sure as hell have a lot more in common with them than the schools in the Big XII. To think they would join this sad excuse for a conference is laughable.

 

[The30YardSlant]

TAMU needs games in Austin and Dallas to maintain recruiting.

We really don't, but the talk is that if we join the SEC A&M and LSU will agree to play their annual game at Reliant in Houston. And of course, the SEC has the Cotton Bowl tie in..

Any idea how bad it would hurt Texas/OU recruiting if they didn't have the Texas/OU game in Dallas?

It wouldnt hurt them at all because they are brand schools. Kids will always want to go to Texas and OU, the only difference is are other teams good enough to take some from them. Also, the majority of the "big" recruits that Texas loses out on end up playing in the SEC. Just food for thought.

And money-wise I do not think the SEC will pay better. Not more than marginally so. It is much easier for TAMU to stay in the Big 12 and earn the bowl bonus cash.

The money would be able equal (we'd make about a million more per year as of now in the SEC) but we would also be a part of the best broadcast deal in the country. Every SEC game is required to be on TV and every SEC team is required to have at least two nationall televised games every year.

TAMU would quickly become one of the schools with the harshest entrance requirements in the SEC.

False. Every program in the country has the same basic entrance requirements for athletes that are set by the NCAA and only a few schools (all private IIRC) require anything higher. Entrance requirments for scholorship athletes are different than for the rest of the student body.

OU is closer to Dallas than TAMU. Arkansas is nearly equal.

College Station is three miles closer to Dallas than Norman and 150 miles closer than Fayetteville

TAMU seems intent on leaving but they will mightily regret it once the recruiting reality sets in.

The only thing going to the SEC will do is help our recruiting. We are still a flagship state school (unlike Arkansas, which is why they lost their Texas recruiting pipeline) and we have had several recruits over the past few years choose SEC schools over us because they want to play there. Recruits want to play in the SEC, and being able to say "you can come play with us in the SEC, or go to Texas and play Iowa State, Kansas and Baylor every week" would be huge.

 

[MC KAos]

i think if tamu leaves the big 12 is either done for, or they will add a team, i just dont see them staying as a 9 team conference. TCU was the obvious choice to join but i doubt they would play in the big twelve when they are basically guaranteed a BCS bowl game every year in the Big East. I think it will be either arkansas or UH

 

[ZeroClub]

TAMU needs games in Austin and Dallas to maintain recruiting.

It is not just being in Texas it is playing before the home crowds in big cities.

Any idea how bad it would hurt Texas/OU recruiting if they didn't have the Texas/OU game in Dallas?

TAMU is here yes but Bryan is a tiny college town. It is close enough to Houston but that's it.

And money-wise I do not think the SEC will pay better. Not more than marginally so. It is much easier for TAMU to stay in the Big 12 and earn the bowl bonus cash.

TAMU would quickly become one of the schools with the harshest entrance requirements in the SEC.

OU is closer to Dallas than TAMU. Arkansas is nearly equal.

TAMU seems intent on leaving but they will mightily regret it once the recruiting reality sets in.

From the recruiting perspective, you want home games ... specifically, you want to host recruits on your campus.

The best way to sell your school is to get recruits on your campus to see how great a place that campus is -- especially on game day. The college town with a huge influx of game day fans is a great place to be and one that appeals to many recruits.

Neutral site games don't help nearly as much with recruiting. Which is why head coaches tend not to like them.

 

[hookemhorns72]

If A&M did leave, They would have to lower their academic standards to be able to recruit with the other sec schools. I would not like our brothers to the east leave and go anywhere! A&M is way to classy to be associated with the sec. I understand why they would entertain the idea but I really hope this is not a reality. Texas IS the prize and A&M is the red headed step child crying for mom and dad's attention! If A&M was marketable item outside of Bryan,TX they would have an Gig em channel. Just know your role and collect the extra money UT let's you have! OU knows theirs! They know who their moneymaker is!

 

[ZeroClub]

If A&M did leave, They would have to lower their academic standards to be able to recruit with the other sec schools. I would not like our brothers to the east leave and go anywhere! A&M is way to classy to be associated with the sec. I understand why they would entertain the idea but I really hope this is not a reality. Texas IS the prize and A&M is the red headed step child crying for mom and dad's attention! If A&M was marketable item outside of Bryan,TX they would have an Gig em channel. Just know your role and collect the extra money UT let's you have! OU knows theirs! They know who their moneymaker is!

With hospitality like this, why on earth would A&M want to leave?

 

[The30YardSlant]

If A&M did leave, They would have to lower their academic standards to be able to recruit with the other sec schools.

Again, this is false. All scholorship athletes are held to the same admission standards at every school, and if a school chooses to have higher ones than they can but very few do that. Texas, A&M, Tech, OU, Florida, Bama, LSU, etc. all allow scholorship athletes in if they meet the basic entrance requirements set by the NCAA. Now, SEC schools have been known to "cloud the issue" and sneak kids in who didnt mean those standards using loopholes, but that is a seperate issue.

Texas IS the prize and A&M is the red headed step child crying for mom and dad's attention!

And yet, the SEC wants A&M

If A&M was marketable item outside of Bryan,TX they would have an Gig em channel.

A&M has one of the ten largest alumni bases in the country, receives more in athletic donations from boosters than Texas does annually and our athletic program generates the fourth most revenue annually. To say A&M isnt marketable is beyond ridiculous.

 

[StylisticS]

If A&M did leave, They would have to lower their academic standards to be able to recruit with the other sec schools. I would not like our brothers to the east leave and go anywhere! A&M is way to classy to be associated with the sec. I understand why they would entertain the idea but I really hope this is not a reality. Texas IS the prize and A&M is the red headed step child crying for mom and dad's attention! If A&M was marketable item outside of Bryan,TX they would have an Gig em channel. Just know your role and collect the extra money UT let's you have! OU knows theirs! They know who their moneymaker is!

Man im a Texas fan but this is just straight arrogance right here.