Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin yesterday said that his school "would proceed 'methodically' now that the Southeastern Conference presidents opted to table the Aggies' potential admission to their league," according to Bohls, Halliburton & Haurwitz of the AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN. Loftin's statement "was issued after the SEC sent out its own press release, saying it was content with the 12 schools it currently has." A&M's plans to join the SEC "certainly weren't dead after SEC presidents met in Atlanta to discuss possible expansion." But the "timetable for the Aggies joining the conference, which appeared to be on a fast track late last week, slowed dramatically." A Big 12 school administrator said, "This is the strangest thing I've ever seen in my life. We're all waiting to see what happens." Bohls, Halliburton & Haurwitz report it could be that the SEC is "waiting to identify another team besides A&M to invite to give the league an even 14 schools to be divided into two divisions." Or the SEC "might be waiting for A&M to settle potential political problems faced by leaving long-time rivals" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 8/15). A&M sources yesterday said that they "were not surprised by the SEC's decision and characterized it as part of a process A&M must go through ... to avoid potential legal snares associated with a move to another league" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 8/15). Univ. of Florida President Bernie Machen, Chair of the SEC's Presidents & Chancellors Committee, "did not rule out future expansion." In St. Petersburg, Antonya English notes it "appears the SEC officials' biggest reservation about adding Texas A&M was the potential for a legal battle because of the Aggies' Big 12 television contract." The SEC also "did not want to be perceived as raiding the Big 12." Florida State, Missouri and Oklahoma reportedly were other "possible additions; those three denied talking to the SEC" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 8/15). Meanwhile, in West Palm Beach, Tom D'Angelo reports Flordia, Georgia and South Carolina were "set to vote against any expansion." The three schools reportedly are "against adding any teams from their state ... fearing the additions would grow their brand and cut even further into the current members' recruiting base" (PALM BEACH POST, 8/15).
ALL IN GOOD TIME: ORANGEBLOODS.com's Chip Brown cited a source as saying that A&M "will be announced as members of the Southeastern Conference beginning in 2012 within 21 days." The source said that the "process to complete A&M's move from the Big 12 to the SEC was always expected to take two to three weeks," and added that the process "continues uninterrupted." Loftin today is "expected to receive the ability to make all decisions with regard to 'conference realignment' at a meeting of A&M's board of regents." A source said that by "hitting the 'pause button,'" the SEC "gets to see how Texas A&M handles questions from state lawmakers during a hearing on Tuesday before the House Higher Education Committee" (ORANGEBLOODS.com, 8/14). Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe said that the SEC's statement yesterday "was not necessarily good news for his league." Beebe: "I do think it's sufficiently ambiguous and open-ended to suggest that activity is going to continue" (USA TODAY, 8/15). In Ft. Worth, Gil LeBreton notes, "The nation's best college football conference didn't tell the ... Aggies no. It chose instead not to tell them anything at all. ... No one in the SEC wants to be sued for dismantling the Big 12 Conference" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 8/15). An A&M official yesterday said that "'the ball is now in the Aggies court' concerning the university exiting the Big 12 and then requesting admission to the SEC, a request expected to be accepted by SEC Commissioner Mike Slive" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 8/15).
LONG-TERM PLANNING: In Dallas, Chuck Carlton notes the Big 12 "remained quiet Sunday after its board of directors and athletic directors met Saturday." After those sessions, the conference "had issued a statement saying it had 'strongly conveyed' a desire that A&M remain a member." The conference also "promised to 'aggressively move forward' with expansion should A&M exit and leave the Big 12 with just nine members." A Big 12 source said that TV partners Fox and ESPN have indicated that if A&M leaves and the Big 12 "finds a suitable replacement, the networks would not alter contracts" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/15). CBSSPORTS.com's Dennis Dodd wrote, "The Big 12 just went from unstable to uncomfortable with the announcement that the SEC will stand pat. That beats the hell out of unraveling. ... The proud Aggies will just have to endure the taunts and cheap shots until the SEC changes its mind." The SEC is "basically telling A&M: Get your house in order and then we'll talk" (CBSSPORTS.com, 8/14). ESPN DALLAS' Jean-Jacques Taylor wrote, "Until the Aggies acknowledge they're envious of Texas' football success and experience their own on a long-term basis, A&M will always be stuck in UT's shadow. ... Their brotherhood is admirable; their incessant whining is not. It will be surpassed only by their embarrassment, if the SEC decides they're not worth the trouble or potential litigation" (ESPNDALLAS.com, 8/14).
FOR THE GOOD OF THE GAME: CBSSPORTS.com's Tony Barnhart wrote the realignment speculation "again highlights a major flaw in the basic structure" of college football. A way to fix the issue is to "create a commissioner of college football." Barnhart: "Somebody needs to be in charge for the good of the entire sport. On cases like Cam Newton and the Ohio State Five, the commissioner has the last word. He or she will have zero tolerance for cheating. ... Only a strong commissioner, backed up by the presidents, can bring the risk-reward for cheating back into balance." Barnhart added, "If you want to change the behavior, you have to change the structure. If NCAA President Mark Emmert wants to get a handle on some of the excesses of college football, then go to the presidents and sell them on the idea for a commissioner of college football" (CBSSPORTS.com, 8/14). In N.Y., Pete Thamel wrote, "No one is guiding the sport toward long-term prosperity and short-term sensibility. ... It is painfully obvious no one is looking out for what is best for all of college sports" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/14).
