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The Texas Longhorns will join the SEC in 2024, moving over with rival Oklahoma from the Big XII. The move started a chain reaction of conference expansion as notable teams jumped from league to league following the announcement.
USC and UCLA will head over to the Big Ten. Houston, BYU, UCF, and SMU will bounce to the Big XII. And a number of PAC 12 teams have been rumored to want out.
But while conference realignment can be entertaining for the college football fan, not all teams are excited about the changes. One of those programs is Texas A&M, who left the Big XII back in 2012 as a way of getting out of the Longhorns’ large shadow.
Texas had recently introduced the Longhorn Network, building its already massive brand even further at the expense of other Big XII members.
When the Aggies bolted for the SEC, Texas’s AD at the time said that the two teams would never play again. That’s remained true over the last decade, plus, but the drought will come to an end soon.
Against Texas A&M’s wishes, the SEC extended an invite to UT, and the rest is history.
The two soon-to-be conference foes will soon match up on the football field, potentially yearly depending on how the league’s future scheduling decisions move forward. And even still, the Aggies have voiced frustrations over the Longhorns’ joining the league.
Have no fear, the SEC is here.
According to TexAgs insider Billy Liucci, the league has offered a consolation prize to help ease Texas A&M’s worries.
In an appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show, Liucci hinted that there’s a supposed agreement between the two parties which would force Texas to travel to Kyle Field for the schools’ first SEC football meeting.
“[Texas A&M AD] Ross [Bjork] has drawn his line in the sand, and the first game is going to be played right here across the street at Kyle Field. [Texas AD] Chris Del Conte acts like he’s not aware of that at all. That’s going to be fascinating to watch,” Liucci said.
“[Bjork] has indicated that the league or [commissioner Greg] Sankey has said that that’s where it will be played. If you’re going to draw that line in the sand, it needs to work out that way, because you and I both know, if that first game is played in Austin, there’s going to be a lot of upset fans,” he continued.
“It’s almost like, ‘Hey, you owe us one,'” Liucci replied when pressed if he thought it had something to do with the Aggies unhappiness with Texas’s move into the SEC. “It sure seems like, to me, that the A&M AD has been led to believe or even told that the first game’s going to be there.”
An interesting concept, though I don’t think one home game in an ongoing series will wash away all of the issues the Aggies have with the ‘Horns becoming a conference rival.
Fans were quick to comment.
One person asked, “Aren’t these the same strongarm tactics Texas has been accused of in other conferences?” Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
Another follower doesn’t believe the report, saying, “The SEC has continuously ignored A&M’s ‘line in the sand’ and you think this is when Sankey says it’s time to bow down to the Ags?”
Many Texas fans point out that the last meeting between the two rivals came in College Station, though as members of the Big XII. That ended with a heartbreaking last second loss for the Aggies.
It will be interesting to see how this unfolds. We could find out in the 2024 season.