SEC adds Texas A&M Aggies as 13th Member

By Kevin Kelley -

SECThe SEC has announced that they have accepted the Texas A&M Aggies as their 13th member beginning in the 2012 season.

Texas A&M is only the third school to be accepted into the SEC since its inception in 1932. Arkansas and South Carolina were added back in 1991.

Three schools have left the SEC in the past. Sewanee, Georgia Tech and Tulane were each founding members, but left the conference in 1940, 1964 and 1966 respectively.

Slive did not announce what division Texas A&M will be placed in. But as the team farthest West, the Aggies will more than likely join the Western Division.

The Aggies leave behind the Big 12, a conference they have competed in since it began in 1996. Prior to that, A&M was a member of the Southwest Conference from 1915 to 1995. Texas A&M has won one national championship (1939), 17 SWC Championships and one Big 12 Championship (1998).

From the SEC release:

The Southeastern Conference Presidents and Chancellors, acting unanimously, announced today that Texas A&M University will join the Southeastern Conference effective July 1, 2012, with competition to begin in all sports for the 2012-13 academic year.

The addition of Texas A&M will increase the SEC membership to 13 institutions.  It is the first expansion for the SEC since September of 1991 when the University of South Carolina joined the league.  The University of Arkansas joined the SEC in August of 1991.  With the addition of Arkansas and South Carolina, the SEC was the first conference to split into divisions and add a conference championship game in 1992.

“The Southeastern Conference Presidents and Chancellors are pleased to welcome Texas A&M University to the SEC family,” said Dr. Bernie Machen, chair of the SEC Presidents and Chancellors and president of the University of Florida.  “The addition of Texas A&M University as the SEC’s 13th member gives our league a prestigious academic institution with a strong athletic tradition and a culture similar to our current institutions.”

“The Southeastern Conference provides Texas A&M the national visibility that our great university and our student-athletes deserve,” said Texas A&M University President R. Bowen Loftin.  “We are excited to begin competition in the nation’s premier athletic conference.  This is a 100-year decision that we have addressed carefully and methodically, and I believe the Southeastern Conference gives the Aggies the best situation of any conference in the country.”

Comments (14)

hmmmmm i read some other articles and it seems like he said they remain optimistic that it will happen. It doesn’t seem official yet.

Not official yet-Baylor has to say they won’t sue, part of the requirement for the SEC. But it should happen. Either Oklahoma stays and then Baylor won’t sue or Oklahoma leaves and the Big 12 dies, and there’s no conference left for Texas A&M to stay in, so they must go elsewhere.

Who will be number 14?

The Logical Pick = Florida State
Dangerous pick = Miami
Back to the future pick = Georgia Tech.
Back to the Future II = Tulane
The Mississippi Pick = S. Miss.
What about Georgia State? Think about that dome!

I say Notre Dame! SEC gets a partnership with NBC , now they have CBS and ESPN! NBC could still broadcast ND’s home games but they could also get SEC games and the SEC would get the money to equally distribute!

Too far North for ND. The SEC doesn’t need NBC either. I just saw that Tennessee just signed GSU to a home in home. Georgia Dome, sell out crowds, I think it could happen.

WVU or Mizzou will be the 14th

Why would anyone even joke about Ga. State or Southern Miss
this is the SEC, not C-USA or the freaking Sunbelt? What’s next UAB or Middle Tenn.? Come on guys!
As for Ga. Tech and Tulane, they left and do not deserve to ever come back. Plus have any of you payed any attention? The conference does not plan to add any team from a state with a current team or teams. If this is true that would eliminate FSU, Ga. Tech, Clemson, Louisville and all of the joke teams that were mentioned above.

Welcome to the SEC Aggies. You have a lot of good traditions. My favorite obviously, is the junction boys. Your football program needs work though. You need to get rid of Sherman and hire a defensive coordinator. The SEC is more of a defensive conference and your defense isn’t that good right now. May I suggest Kirby Smart. Nick Saban has taught him well and I look forward to seeing him as a head coach someday. He may cost some money, but he’d be worth it if you are looking to one day be a championship caliber team. Besides, I think we owe you a good coach after we took bear and stallings. LOL

I agree about them needing to improve their defense Rolltide92. The Aggies will be in the SEC West and right now that is a dangerous place to be. LSU, Bama, and the Hogs are all NC caliber teams. One thing is for certain; the Aggies will learn to adapt in order to survive. Btw Rolltide, although my Tigers beat the Tide, I still think they are the two best teams in the country. But right now, LSU still has to beat Arkansas and probably Georgia…no easy task.