OU is a big deal to some but I always relished our rivalry with A&M, especially when playing them at College Station, with all their ritualistic tribal BS. I loved that game. The OU game was a bunch of drunks cussing each other, people honking their horns and going to a slum to eat cruddy food amidst ferris wheels and other carny attractions. The drive home from Dallas was on I35 the nightmare and the drive home from CS was through rural Texas. OU is a better team than A&M most years but I like playing the Aggies best.
I agree mainly with all of this. A&M was behind UT in the sports, esp. football, race. Maybe not a lot, but behind in a repeatable, unshakable way. Even to split a Texas TV network was to perpetuate that small but unshakable advantage for UT. Kind of like being behind a car on the highway. You can't hope to pass them unless you get into a different lane. Moving to the SEC was a huge risk and a bold move, and it represented A&M actually wanting to surpass UT. It also directly hurt UT as far as recruiting, bringing the SEC schools into Texas, etc. So it both hurt UT--perhaps a good thing in their eyes on its own--and unlinked the schools so that their futures might take different, unlinked paths. In general, this worked. They hired a better coach than they otherwise could have, their recruiting is better, their self-image is improved. A&M hasn't actually accomplished anything of much significance, but actually more than UT did over that time span. (And, A&M seems right now to be set up for success in the next few years--always next year, right?) UT, in the meantime, despite all the on-the-field misery, is still very well positioned to be a top national school if it can hit its stride. Better positioned than A&M, despite recent failure. So, while there were multiple factors for UT (and OU) to move to the SEC, the A&M aspect is to put us back in the same lane of traffic, where we are still ahead of them--that's why they got so angry that we mirrored their move. Sort of like deliberately trading queens in chess if the other side's queen is in a better position on the board. A&M could still pass UT, I suppose, but it would take either a national championship, or 2-3 SEC championships, and playoff appearances, which would necessarily mean beating UT heads up say 4 out of 5 years (i.e., like recent OU dominance over us). However, if UT were to beat A&M 4 out of 6, go to 3 or 4 SEC championship games, or whatever, they would have passed A&M for eternity. The cool thing is that these futures will be decided on the field.
From what I have observed over the decades, my conclusion is that Aggy generally makes decisions — particularly those that could affect or involve Texas — based mostly on emotion, not logic. This obsessive nature (with respect to the University of Texas) seems to permeate the psyche of many that have ever been associated with the school, including Governors. (The effect that cults have is far reaching.) There is a palpable need to establish their own identity, exclusive of their (self perceived) big brother, Texas. This is a classic case of an inferiority complex. P**** Envy. My point is that IMO the move to the SEC by TAM was driven, more than by any other factor, by this obsession. Now, with Texas joining the SEC, any perceived advantage has been neutralized. Talk about devastating. That said, the more I think about the move by Texas, the less I like it. Basically: “qui cum canibus concumbunt cum pulicibus surgent”
If Texas starts winning (top ten), aggy will never out-recruit Texas again on a consistent or even inconsistent basis (the odd year is always a possibility).
A&M already passed Texas in football. Not really close, the move to the SEC is a move so Texas can overtake them again
In ten years of SEC membership, anm has finished above .750 just twice. In their 16 years in the B12, they finished above .750 once. In that same 26 year period, Texas has finished above .750 eleven times. Continue to tell me how they've passed Texas in football.
Nebraska leaving the Big 12 was a blow to the conference, but looks to be suicide for Nebraska, at least so far. Mo. just seems like a bad fit for the sec. aggie cut the best deal but didn't get the deal in writing Colorado is so indebted they have no chance in the Pac. I wish we had them, Neb and Mo back. w us and Ou. But alas...
Generally agree. At least Nebraska and Missouri are cashing huge checks. Poor Colorado is stuck with the worst of both worlds: no natural rivals and the lowest pay-out of the P5.
In 2012 it looked as if aggy was going to take the pole position. But they've squandered the last decade or so. Now that Texas is coming over to the SEC, I expect a better effort from College Station.
Well after the Baptists win last nite the SEC has a 5-6 Bowl record...........if the Mildcats can nut up and beat a depleted LSU squad Monday it could go 5-7.......................not exactly a rolling ball of butcher knives............if we can figure out the Alabama/Saban factor we'll be ok.
This take is amazing! All UT needs to do is figure out Bama! It's like the Arkansas game never happened!
Well, this year, you could add to Arkansas, figuring out Baylor, OkSt, OU, etc. Maybe the point is that in a given year that we could handle Baylor, OU, OkSt, TCU, etc, we will already be at a level to handle A&M, Auburn, Mississippi, Arkansas, etc—leaving aside the additional task of “figuring out” Alabama.
The scoreboard says that the mighty SEC has been overhyped, and the lowly Big 12 has been underrated, at least for the 2021 season. Someone said a couple of weeks ago that no Big12 team could beat a top 10 ranked opponent. That has proven not to be true.
I wonder if Colorado would have chosen differently had they known they were going to the PAC w/o the other Big12 schools? I think NU was gone regardless. Too much resentment in that AD and fanbase to walk it back.
People often misunderstand what conferences are about. They assume that conferences all have the same goals and are merely differentiated by regions. That is part of the story, but only part. The Big 10 exists to unite midwestern schools with academic/prestige goals. The SWC was created to regulate the sport (prior to its founding, the Ags were shamelessly using ringers that weren’t real students), before the NCAA assumed that role. Once the NCAA stepped in, the SWC had little reason to be other than to collectively market the schools (what all conferences do), and so was absorbed into the Big 8 once that made sense for the bigger schools. The Ivy exists to create a bubble for the schools that don’t want to play by the King Football rules. The PAC is a very young conference and is largely a regional collective. The SEC was formed to help promote southern football, and that is still a major shared goal. This is why their fans can hate rival schools but pull together when playing OOC. I doubt the Ags, Sooners and Horns get that. This will be a tough fit.
As a Texas fan hoping to not have a repeat losing season and no bowl game, I get no solace whatsoever from an Aggie-esque moral victory because of the SEC bowl record. Who gives a crap? Not looking for a show of hands as obviously some of you, inexplicably, give a crap.
As for the original question, I guess it's a matter of preference. In some cultural terms, it's This: Or This: This: Or This: This: Or This: This: Or this: This: Or This:
The quote about Texas, A&M, Baylor and Tech being "absorbed into the Big 8" will raise some eyebrows. Because in 1996 both the Big 8 and SWC ceased to exist. The Big 12 was a new creation with its own history...and league office. And many of the vets can tell you all about the battles concerning said league office when the Big 12 formed. Texas' first conference was actually the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The SIAA was comprised of schools from across the Old South, from Texas to Virginia. Eventually the big universities left the SIAA due to disagreements about rules, and formed what became the SWC, SEC, and ACC. So I disagree about it being a "tough fit". Or some sort of unheard-of move. In actuality, it's more like Back To The Future.
Can't say I agree with you on the Back To The Future aspect. Demographically, UT is nothing like it was back in the SIAA days. Geographically it's a good fit. Also, playing teams like LSU, Arky, Bama, etc. will always be an upgrade over the likes of Tech, Baylor, and TCU.
True, the demographics of UT have changed since 1904. The same can be said for A&M. And everywhere else, really. But A&M is still A&M, right?