SEC Expansion: Texas A&M President Releases Statement, University Proceeding As Planned

When the SEC presidents decided Sunday not to take a vote on any conference realignment matters, the signal that many people received was that Texas A&M’s overtures were being rebuffed. In fact, all that merely did was let everyone know that there was going to be a time for discovery and discussion and both sides were going to take advantage of it.

Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin made a statement Sunday that reiterated as much and let everyone know that the Aggies will continue to meet, discuss and vote on the idea of leaving the Big 12 for the SEC.

As we have seen over the past several days, there has been a considerable amount of misinformation regarding these discussions and any associated timelines. The chairman of our board has indicated that the regents will proceed with tomorrow’s agenda item, which authorizes the president of Texas A&M to take all actions related to athletic conference alignment. I will also accept Chairman [Dan] Branch’s invitation to participate in his committee’s hearing on Tuesday. These are extremely complex issues, and it is imperative that we proceed methodically and in the best interests of Texas A&M.

SI’s Andy Staples has a great article up for anyone interested on the current status of Texas A&M, the SEC and what it all means. Of course, the easy answer is that it means a lot more money in those Aggie pockets. As well as the SEC’s.

There is more money for Texas A&M in the SEC. In fact, Texas A&M probably is more valuable to the SEC than it is to the Big 12. Remember, the SEC signed media rights deals in 2009 with CBS and ESPN worth $3 billion over 15 years...Now, imagine how much those deals would be worth if the population of the SEC’s geographic footprint suddenly increased by 42 percent. That’s how many potential viewers the SEC would add by including a major Texas team.

For consistent updates of this story and all SEC news, follow Team Speed Kills and check with SB Nation Atlanta. For updates on the Texas A&M side, visit I Am The 12th Man.