ESPN is reporting that Texas A&M has reentered discussions with the Southeastern Conference about the possibility of the Aggies moving to the league.
Citing an article in the Dallas Morning News, Texas Governor Rick Perry told the paper that the school is having conversations with the SEC, but couldn’t provide any information beyond that.
Since the shakeup took place in the Big 12 last year that had Nebraska moving to the Big Ten and Colorado jumping to the Pac-12, several of the conference’s members are concerned about the league’s future.
Texas A&M reportedly discussed the possibility of moving to the SEC last year but chose to remain in the Big 12.
Following the announcement that ESPN and the University of Texas had reached an agreement to create the Longhorn Network, the Aggies long term presence in the Big 12 has become less certain.
Unlike the television deals the SEC, Big Ten and Pac-12 have that generate millions for those conferences, the Big 12′s TV contracts are nowhere near as lucrative.
And the Big 12 doesn’t distribute it’s revenues equally like other conferences. With the start of the Longhorn Network, Texas will receive at least $15 million annually for the next 20 years from that deal alone and doesn’t have to share those revenues with the other Big 12 members.
Although the SEC still has 13 years remaining on their television deals with CBS and ESPN, adding Texas A&M and possibly Oklahoma or Missouri to the conference would surely give the league an argument for renegotiating their TV contracts.
The future of the Big 12 could be determined when the NCAA decides if the Longhorn Network can televise high school football games.
Rival schools, in particular Texas A&M and Oklahoma, are wary that Texas could use the network to showcase potential Longhorns’ recruits and gain an unfair advantage in signing prospects.
Regardless of the NCAA’s decision, the Aggies and other members of the Big 12 are clearly looking to join other conferences as a means to capture additional revenues.
The SEC has kept the possibility of expansion open, and is perhaps more interested following the recent conference realignments.
The league would love to gain a foothold in Texas to increase its television market share and could possibly look beyond the Big 12 for additional members.
Some believe the SEC might expand to 16 teams, with possible additions including Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Central Florida and South Florida.
You can bet that SEC commissioner Mike Slive isn’t going to allow the league to be second best to anyone. With the league already entrenched as the best college football conference in America, the SEC can virtually have its pick of schools.
