Conference Realignment Winners and Losers

UNT 90 Grad · July 3, 2012

Texas VS Texas A&M ≠ Auburn VS GA Tech.
Texas VS Texas A&M ~ Auburn VS Alabama.
Could you imagine Auburn VS Alabama going away?

Believe it or not, Texas VS Texas A&M is probably bigger than Texas VS Oklahoma... and there is not a school in the SEC that Aggie fans would rather beat more than Texas. That will never, ever change because you have never seen "traditions" before until you've seen the Aggies.

From the outside looking in, it seemed like the UT vs TAMU game was a much bigger deal to A&M than to Texas. It would surprise me to hear a Texas fan say the A&M game was a bigger deal than the OU game...at least in recent history.

MeanGreenTexan · July 3, 2012

From the outside looking in, it seemed like the UT vs TAMU game was a much bigger deal to A&M than to Texas. It would surprise me to hear a Texas fan say the A&M game was a bigger deal than the OU game...at least in recent history.

Ask a Texas fan which team (OU or A&M) they would rather lose to, if they had to lose 1. It wont be a landslide, but I bet most would say they would rather lose to OU so they don't have to deal with hearing it from Aggies.

Side Show Joe · July 4, 2012

The Big 12 is worse off for having lost A&M to the SEC. I don't think the SEC or A&M will be content for long, with having only one Texas program. I believe UT will see a negative affect in recruiting in the years to come. The top recruits in the nation want to play the best competition in the nation, and that is currently in the SEC. The top players in Texas may choose A&M. that would allow them to play in the strongest conference and play in front of their families. We will see.

untjim1995 · July 6, 2012

I'll state the obvious first: other than TCU, no one won bigger than North Texas and UTSA in the current realignment. And, if you want the truth, no one other than TCU and Utah made out better than UNT and UTSA. We finally get some teams people have heard of as conference mates and in a league that people know of. A huge and obvious win for UNT's future--assuming we can actually take advantage of this all.

As far as the old and new Big XII, I think A&M has a shot at making it big in the SEC if they get their coaching situation right. Sumlin might be the guy, but he may just be a continuation of Franchione and Sherman. I know this--if Texas still finishes behind OU, OSU, and another Texas team (TCU, Baylor, or Tech), the recruiting advantage of the SEC could become even bigger for the Aggies. A&M may fail big time in the SEC--like they pretty much did in the Big XII--but they could also find that Texas HS kids want to play in the SEC while being somewhat close to home. I still think Texas and Oklahoma will do great, but if one falls down and the Aggies step up, you could see A&M get kids that normally went to Austin or Norman.

I think TCU will do fine in the Big XII. They are better positioned for success long-term than Baylor or Tech, assuming Gary Patterson stays as their coach. Baylor did great with their once-in-a-lifetime recruit (RG III), but otherwise, they have purely sucked for the better part of 15 years. Tech's greatness under Leach appears to be clearly over, and they know have a MEtroplex team in their league to compete with for kids that they were able to get before. Metroplex kids that were 3-4 stars usually chose the Big XII team over TCU because of the league--now, that advantage is gone for Tech and Baylor. TCU will be fine.

I think that Mizzou will be the big loser here. Not in money, of course, but they got really good playing a relatively weak north shcedule, all while reeling in lots of Texas HS talent. Now that they have joined the SEC, they will play A&M in College Station once every 6 years or so. In other words, they will now look a lot like Arkansas did after their Texas scheduling went away. Missouri, as a state, has some talent, and they are the only game in the state, but I don't see that playing out very well for them W/L wise, which will hurt recruiting.

West Virginia will do very well in the Big XII--like winning multiple conference championships in the next 5 years. They might be the biggest challenger to the Texas/OU combo in the league, more than OSU. As a matter of fact, I want to see OSU do it again, because I am astill not completely sold on Mike Gundy. Last year was great, for sure, but let's see if that can happen again. Much like Tech under Leach, they had one great year, and have never really been heard from again.

The Fake Lonnie Finch · July 6, 2012

A&M does not need Texas now that they are a member of the SEC. Alabama, LSU, Auburn, and Arkansas every year plus who ever they have to play from the SEC east. Yes I know Texas-Texas A&M is a tradition but who needs this game more now A&M or Texas. i say Texas is the one who needs this game more now not A&M.

The point wasn't about Texas A&M. They'll be fine in the SEC once they fire Kevin Sumlin and get a defensive-minded coach so they can compete well in the SEC.

The point was that TCU is a lame addition to the Big 12. They've been facing WAC and MWC competition for over a decade and will not stand up well to Texas or OU, on or off the field. It's a bad fit for the Big 12 Conference.

But, the truth is, the Big 12 is just as Texas and OU want it now - they get the bigger slice of the pie by design, and the other hangers-on are just happy to ride their coattailes. Colorado, Nebraksa, Missouri, and Texas A&M actually have athletic departments with some gumption, so they left.

Texas wasn't winning very many conference titles in the Big 12 anyway - three in 16 years. OU's won most of them - almost half since the Big 12's inception. Both lost out on strength of schedule when the four other schools left. With the BCS ending, then, they were wise to accept the SEC-Big 12 Championship deal.

I see very little chance of either OU or Texas doing well in those games, but at least they'll be paid well for their defeats.

The Fake Lonnie Finch · July 6, 2012

As to the OSU discussion in the Big 12...with OU injury-riddled and Texas mysteriously unable to find a decent quarterback, OSU finally cracked through for a title. Don't bet on both OU and Texas having off years in the same season very often.

Harry · July 6, 2012

The point wasn't about Texas A&M. They'll be fine in the SEC once they fire Kevin Sumlin and get a defensive-minded coach so they can compete well in the SEC.

Man I will have to disagree with you on this point. Sumlin is recruiting WAY better than Sherman! Sumlin is loading up with a lot of athleticism where Sherman just recruited size. I don't know that A&M will win the SEC but I don't expect them to be a slouch and I think they will be a much better program under Sumlin.

MeanGreenTexan · July 6, 2012

Man I will have to disagree with you on this point. Sumlin is recruiting WAY better than Sherman! Sumlin is loading up with a lot of athleticism where Sherman just recruited size. I don't know that A&M will win the SEC but I don't expect them to be a slouch and I think they will be a much better program under Sumlin.

It will certainly be interesting to see how an offensive-minded coach does in the SEC West. I think coach Spurrier, who had some of the greatest offenses is showing us how it works in the SEC East.

greenminer · July 6, 2012

Sumlin to the SEC is one of the more interesting things for me to follow this year. Without him, I really wouldn't give 2 cents about A&M. I can't wait to see how his style goes over in the SEC, and if/how he will adapt.