The Texas A&M Aggies finally had their wish granted as they are now
members of The Southeastern Conference. Texas A&M president Dr. R.
Bowen Loftin can say whatever he wants to say publicly about doing what
is best for the institution, but this is all about money and with The
O’Jays performing in College Station, The Aggies got the payday that
they always wanted. In the process they got away from the shadow of The
Texas Longhorns. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side and
The Aggies will soon realize this as it relates to football.
When you think of Texas A&M football, you think of a team that
continuously takes a back seat to The Longhorns. The Big 12 Conference
was formed in 1996 and The Aggies found early success by winning The Big
12 South in 1997 and 1998. In ’98 The Aggies defeated The Kansas State
Wildcats for their only Big 12 Title. Since then The Big 12 South was
dominated by The Longhorns and The Oklahoma Sooners as both schools
represented The Big 12 South every year in the title game until 2010.
The Big 12 has always been a top heavy conference with Oklahoma and
Texas carrying the banner of success. The Aggies have found themselves
in the middle of the pack in The Big 12. Now they will travel to The SEC
which has produced the last five BCS Champions as well as being a much
tougher football conference. The Aggies will most likely be placed in
The SEC West along with The Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers and LSU
Tigers. These three teams have won three of those five BCS crowns.
Teams are rarely able to make consecutive SEC Championship Games due to
the competitive nature of the conference. If a team slips up they have
several teams nipping at their heels to knock them down a peg. In 2009
The Tide went undefeated as BCS Champs. Last year they suffered three
conference losses. The Tide then showed their dominance by steamrolling
The Michigan State Spartans in The Capital One Bowl 49-7. If The Tide
were in another conference like The Big 12 they probably would have
qualified for a BCS bowl game. This season the defending BCS Champs
Auburn have already lost a game before conference play as LSU and ‘Bama
are ready to overtake them in the division.
Since 2000, The Aggies have met four SEC schools in bowl games and lost
each game by a combined score of 146-92. Last season’s Cotton Bowl
displayed that LSU had too much team speed for Texas A&M as The
Tigers won 41-24. In the last two seasons, The Aggies have played
another SEC team The Arkansas Razorbacks at Cowboys Stadium only to lose
both contests. To add fuel to the fire, A&M’s Big 12 brethren
Oklahoma and Texas have lost three BCS Championship Games to The SEC
which proves the talent gap etween both conferences.
If you’re going to beg the prom queen to dance with her, then you need
to be able to keep up. The Aggies are staring at 7-5 consistently in The
SEC. This is only The Western Division as The Florida Gators will
consistently be waiting in Atlanta at The SEC Championship Game if
A&M can run the gauntlet in The West. For me this poses the question
why would anyone want to join The SEC? Bottom feeders in the conference
such as The Vanderbilt Commodores and Ole Miss Rebels are thankful for
6-6 which is a testament to them surviving the conference.
A&M had a good thing going in The Big 12 as they are starting to
pick up steam under head coach Mike Sherman. Sherman is making The
Aggies respectable once again as they are becoming a team that expects
to play on New Year’s Day every year. The glory days of former Aggie
head coach R.C. Slocum and “The Wrecking Crew” defense in The Southwest
Conference are gone. I understand that The Aggies are tired of being
pushed around by Texas on and off the field, but a winning season in The
Big 12 along with a trip to The Holiday Bowl will look great once
A&M is struggling to make The Independence Bowl in The SEC. The
Aggies were not happy with the revenue sharing for all teams in The Big
12. The Longhorns launched The Longhorn Network which was expected to
provide funding for all Big 12 schools. Loftin wanted a payout that he
feels will help his school and kicked the tradition of constantly losing
to Texas aside for a chance to be dominated by The Crimson Tide. Loftin
will always be remembered in College Station for this move, how people
remember him is yet to be seen.
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