Texas A&M Football: The Good, Bad and Ugly of Texas to the SEC
![SEC logo seen during SEC Media Days at the Hyatt Regency in Hoover, Ala., Monday, July 19, 2021. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]Sec Media Days](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F6e3a485894488e8c3c4a15ae578503913fb63935b7085a29acf4f48d6f54efee.jpg "SEC logo seen during SEC Media Days at the Hyatt Regency in Hoover, Ala., Monday, July 19, 2021. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]Sec Media Days")
The Bad: Trust Lost
How this came about, and the timing of the news, is notable. It was no coincidence reports surfaced from a Texas A&M beat writer at the very moment the Aggies were set to take the stage, giving the maroon-clad contingent the first opportunity to attack the Longhorns’ foray.
But by the time the cat was out of the bag, things might have been too late.
Prominent Big 12 source tells the American-Statesman the Texas-OU move to the SEC is almost done. "They've been working on this for a minimum of 6 months, and the A&M leadership was left out of discussions and wasn't told about it." Move could become official in a week.
— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) July 23, 2021
Although that assertion was shot down hours later:
.@Brett_McMurphy tells @1010XL: “Texas A&M being kept out of the loop is absolutely 100 percent inaccurate. Multiple #SEC sources told me all university presidents had been part of the process all along. Anything else is 1,000 percent false.” #GigEm
— Matt Hayes (@MattHayesCFB) July 23, 2021
By all accounts, Texas A&M’s move to the SEC has been a benefit to all parties. The Aggies have taken up the banner for the nation’s premier conference with zeal while the SEC has benefited as well, incorporating the newer members in with some of the conference’s extensive traditions.
Texas can still join the SEC with a no vote from Texas A&M. The Aggies were always going to vote no. Why then, did this all have to happen under the cover of darkness?
Suddenly the rosy relationship with the conference has lost some of its sheen. Things will smooth over. The addition of the Longhorns will bring more money, which solves most problems, but it will leave a sour taste.