Sgt John
Sith Lord of T&A
Word today is Texas A&M's Board of Regents will meet on August 22nd to install a new Chancellor for the system and to discuss a move to the SEC.
Aggie lawyers are already hard at work on the legal and financial aspects of the move, including what may be an attempt by the Texas Legislature to block the move, in addition to the State of Texas withholding money from the "Permanent University Fund".
As of December 2008 figures, the PUF holds approximately $8.8 billion in investments and 2,100,000 acres of land located in 21 mainly West Texas counties. The fund is split 2/3rds to the UT system and 1/3 to the Texas A&M system.
Proponents of the deal feel the Aggies have reached the time to stand alone and remove themselves from the shadow of the University of Texas, but the underlying reason seems to be the ESPN funded Longhorn Network.
The SEC gains a prestigious research university by adding the Aggies, and would gain a strong foothold in the fertile Houston and East Texas recruiting grounds currently enjoyed to some extent only by LSU. The SEC also has the right to renegotiate its monsterous TV deals in the event a school is added to the conference, so this is only a win for the SEC.
Opponents to the deal argue Texas A&M would be trashed football wise and only hope to become the 6th or 7th best school in the SEC while everyone from LSU to Florida raids the recruiting coffers. They also dont want to give up the rivalry with Texas.
Texas fans in and of themselves seem largely supportive of the move, ridding themselves of a "little brother" who fights their revenue producing machine at every turn.
Other signs pointing toward A&M leaving:
Texas Govenor, ardent Aggie, and likely Presidential Candidate Rick Perry has not condemned the move as he did during the "Big 12 Missle Crisis" of last summer when the super conference idea was in play. Perry's political camp sees the move, which would be effective for the 2012 season according to rumors, as a chance to further his presidential campaign by getting the Aggie name (and hence his) into the southeastern US.
The Chancellor and Board of Regents memebers who blocked the Aggie move to the Pac-16 or SEC last summer have been replaced, and the replacements are rumored to be eager to move to the SEC.
Unconfirmed reports out of Norman and Austin have OU and Texas in talks about keeping the conference together and trying to add another school with the TV deals coming up for the conference in the next couple years. Further rumors suggest Texas and ESPN may be willing to pay whatever is needed to get TCU out of its move to the Big East next year to replace the Aggies.
Though nothing has been spoken of yet, during the crisis last year, overtures were make to the University of Arkansas about a move to the Big 12 with the guarentee the new TV contracts would pay them what the SEC paid, but the move never gained any steam since Texas, Texas A&M, and OU appeared settled with the 10 team idea, this coming before anyone knew just how much money would be involved in the Longhorn Network.
An NCAA meeting will take place August 22nd regarding the LHN and possible airing of HS football games. Some research has also been done into the viability of making the LHN the Big 12 Network on the part of Texas, and on ESPNs part trying to get out of the deal.
More to follow.....
Aggie lawyers are already hard at work on the legal and financial aspects of the move, including what may be an attempt by the Texas Legislature to block the move, in addition to the State of Texas withholding money from the "Permanent University Fund".
As of December 2008 figures, the PUF holds approximately $8.8 billion in investments and 2,100,000 acres of land located in 21 mainly West Texas counties. The fund is split 2/3rds to the UT system and 1/3 to the Texas A&M system.
Proponents of the deal feel the Aggies have reached the time to stand alone and remove themselves from the shadow of the University of Texas, but the underlying reason seems to be the ESPN funded Longhorn Network.
The SEC gains a prestigious research university by adding the Aggies, and would gain a strong foothold in the fertile Houston and East Texas recruiting grounds currently enjoyed to some extent only by LSU. The SEC also has the right to renegotiate its monsterous TV deals in the event a school is added to the conference, so this is only a win for the SEC.
Opponents to the deal argue Texas A&M would be trashed football wise and only hope to become the 6th or 7th best school in the SEC while everyone from LSU to Florida raids the recruiting coffers. They also dont want to give up the rivalry with Texas.
Texas fans in and of themselves seem largely supportive of the move, ridding themselves of a "little brother" who fights their revenue producing machine at every turn.
Other signs pointing toward A&M leaving:
Texas Govenor, ardent Aggie, and likely Presidential Candidate Rick Perry has not condemned the move as he did during the "Big 12 Missle Crisis" of last summer when the super conference idea was in play. Perry's political camp sees the move, which would be effective for the 2012 season according to rumors, as a chance to further his presidential campaign by getting the Aggie name (and hence his) into the southeastern US.
The Chancellor and Board of Regents memebers who blocked the Aggie move to the Pac-16 or SEC last summer have been replaced, and the replacements are rumored to be eager to move to the SEC.
Unconfirmed reports out of Norman and Austin have OU and Texas in talks about keeping the conference together and trying to add another school with the TV deals coming up for the conference in the next couple years. Further rumors suggest Texas and ESPN may be willing to pay whatever is needed to get TCU out of its move to the Big East next year to replace the Aggies.
Though nothing has been spoken of yet, during the crisis last year, overtures were make to the University of Arkansas about a move to the Big 12 with the guarentee the new TV contracts would pay them what the SEC paid, but the move never gained any steam since Texas, Texas A&M, and OU appeared settled with the 10 team idea, this coming before anyone knew just how much money would be involved in the Longhorn Network.
An NCAA meeting will take place August 22nd regarding the LHN and possible airing of HS football games. Some research has also been done into the viability of making the LHN the Big 12 Network on the part of Texas, and on ESPNs part trying to get out of the deal.
More to follow.....
