Most of us know at least someone who is hooked on drama. You probably live a rather routine life ? work from 9 to 5, drive home, eat dinner with the family or friends, watch a little TV, maybe go for a bike ride on the weekend. Meanwhile, the guy at the next desk is feuding with his sister-in-law; embroiled in at least two lawsuits; lashing out at business rivals; stirring up Little League politics, and arguing with the local box store because it didn’t give him a free extension cord for the power drill he just bought.
That type of individual just has to have drama in his life at all times. He or she feeds off it like an insatiable jungle carnivore feeds off a herd of zebra.
Texas A&M is the guy at the next desk.
And like your co-worker, all its negative energy might be going for naught.
Texas A&M announced Wednesday it is leaving the Big 12 by July 2012 if it is accepted by another league, presumably the SEC. It has wanted out of the Big 12 badly. To the Aggies, the Big 12 is like a North Korean prison, with big longhorns painted on the cell walls.
The Big 12 has two marquee teams in Texas and Oklahoma, plus a bunch of interchangeable opponents. Texas A&M has a splendid academic reputation. If you’re interested in a career in agriculture or the military, it’s top drawer. And if you have dreams of someday being a general in charge of the cabbage patch at Camp Pendleton, there’s no better place to study.
But if you’re a football player, that’s another story. Texas A&M last won a national championship in 1939, and last won a conference title in 1998. The BCS bowl system began in ’98, and that was the only year A&M qualified for a berth in a BCS bowl game. Meanwhile, Texas has been in a BCS bowl game four times, Oklahoma eight times.
Yet at least Texas A&M held some spoiler status in the Big 12. It could provide credible resistance every once in a while to the Longhorns and Sooners, thereby raising its profile for 15 minutes or so. This season, the Aggies are ranked No. 8 in the AP preseason poll and might make some noise.
Now it wants entry to the SEC. I’m sure there’s a major component to this maneuver that sees a college football landscape someday dominated by four major conferences that pull in the bulk of the television revenue. And I’m sure A&M believes there’s more dough to be had in the SEC than the slowly decaying Big 12. As a money grab, I can’t comment. There’s far too much smoke coming out of those smoke-filled rooms to see any of that clearly.
The color of money is also the color of envy. I can’t help but think that somehow A&M officials believe that by being in the SEC, it will add luster to their football program and allow them to thumb their collective schnozzes at their orange-clad nemeses.
In fact, A&M probably will become more insignificant on the national football radar as a member of the SEC than it is now ? and that’s assuming the SEC lets it in. Instead of vying for attention and respectability with Texas and Oklahoma, the Aggies will be in the midst of an already super conference with perennial contenders Alabama, Florida, LSU, Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia and others.
Texas A&M is hungry for drama, but what it might receive instead is the mind-numbing tedium of being a punching bag for schools very much like Texas and Oklahoma, only with different uniforms, logos and locations.
I’m sure A&M believes that it will open up all new recruiting doors to have “SEC” on its masthead. But really, that school attracts a particular type of individual, one who enjoys the studious, crew-cut nature of that institution. Usually, if a five-star recruit wants to attend a major program but still remain in his home state of Texas, he’ll attend Texas. If he prefers the glamour and prestige of being in the SEC, he’ll bolt the state completely and go to LSU, Florida or Alabama.
The pairing of Texas A&M and the SEC is unlikely to create a conga line of blue-chippers headed to College Station.
Undoubtedly, the whole picture is changing. Nebraska joined the Big Ten, which caused a tremor in the Big 12. Texas flirted with an invitation to the Pac-10 (now Pac-12) before remaining with the Big 12, armed with its own network. These defections and near-defections will eventually lead to the bursting of the dam. What will result is something like the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC boasting mega-conference status and hoarding all the BCS booty.
I suppose A&M sees this coming and wants to get the jump on the competition. But it’s doing it in an odd way. The SEC hasn’t said it wants A&M. In fact, a couple of weeks ago its presidents voted not to expand at this time, although it left that option open.
I guess the Aggies figure, “If we leave the Big 12, the SEC will HAVE to take us.” Hmmm. I don’t know about that. Maybe. But the SEC doesn’t appear to be the kind of business entity that gets dictated to. It seems like ? figuratively speaking, of course ? the type that would smother you with a pillow if a dollar could be gained from it. And I’m sure there are other schools the SEC might consider adding that would be more attractive than Texas A&M. Oklahoma, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Missouri, Clemson and West Virginia are among the schools mentioned in various reports.
And who knows? Maybe A&M has something else cooking. Perhaps there have been discreet cell-phone calls in the middle of the night to the commissioners of the Pac-12 or Big Ten, complete with whispers and giggles.
No, the Aggies seem to have some serious issues. They want to be respected and adored. They also want to text you about their love life, squabble with the neighbors, pick a fight with somebody at the gym and give you financial advice against your will.
They want to leave a longtime relationship to pursue somebody they perceive as more attractive, even if there’s no indication that party is the least bit interested.
The Aggies of Texas A&M. Right now the rest of college football is, like, so over them.
Michael Ventre is a regular contributor to NBCSports.com. Follow him on Twitter
That type of individual just has to have drama in his life at all times. He or she feeds off it like an insatiable jungle carnivore feeds off a herd of zebra.
Texas A&M is the guy at the next desk.
And like your co-worker, all its negative energy might be going for naught.
Texas A&M announced Wednesday it is leaving the Big 12 by July 2012 if it is accepted by another league, presumably the SEC. It has wanted out of the Big 12 badly. To the Aggies, the Big 12 is like a North Korean prison, with big longhorns painted on the cell walls.
The Big 12 has two marquee teams in Texas and Oklahoma, plus a bunch of interchangeable opponents. Texas A&M has a splendid academic reputation. If you’re interested in a career in agriculture or the military, it’s top drawer. And if you have dreams of someday being a general in charge of the cabbage patch at Camp Pendleton, there’s no better place to study.
But if you’re a football player, that’s another story. Texas A&M last won a national championship in 1939, and last won a conference title in 1998. The BCS bowl system began in ’98, and that was the only year A&M qualified for a berth in a BCS bowl game. Meanwhile, Texas has been in a BCS bowl game four times, Oklahoma eight times.
Yet at least Texas A&M held some spoiler status in the Big 12. It could provide credible resistance every once in a while to the Longhorns and Sooners, thereby raising its profile for 15 minutes or so. This season, the Aggies are ranked No. 8 in the AP preseason poll and might make some noise.
Now it wants entry to the SEC. I’m sure there’s a major component to this maneuver that sees a college football landscape someday dominated by four major conferences that pull in the bulk of the television revenue. And I’m sure A&M believes there’s more dough to be had in the SEC than the slowly decaying Big 12. As a money grab, I can’t comment. There’s far too much smoke coming out of those smoke-filled rooms to see any of that clearly.
The color of money is also the color of envy. I can’t help but think that somehow A&M officials believe that by being in the SEC, it will add luster to their football program and allow them to thumb their collective schnozzes at their orange-clad nemeses.
In fact, A&M probably will become more insignificant on the national football radar as a member of the SEC than it is now ? and that’s assuming the SEC lets it in. Instead of vying for attention and respectability with Texas and Oklahoma, the Aggies will be in the midst of an already super conference with perennial contenders Alabama, Florida, LSU, Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia and others.
Texas A&M is hungry for drama, but what it might receive instead is the mind-numbing tedium of being a punching bag for schools very much like Texas and Oklahoma, only with different uniforms, logos and locations.
I’m sure A&M believes that it will open up all new recruiting doors to have “SEC” on its masthead. But really, that school attracts a particular type of individual, one who enjoys the studious, crew-cut nature of that institution. Usually, if a five-star recruit wants to attend a major program but still remain in his home state of Texas, he’ll attend Texas. If he prefers the glamour and prestige of being in the SEC, he’ll bolt the state completely and go to LSU, Florida or Alabama.
The pairing of Texas A&M and the SEC is unlikely to create a conga line of blue-chippers headed to College Station.
Undoubtedly, the whole picture is changing. Nebraska joined the Big Ten, which caused a tremor in the Big 12. Texas flirted with an invitation to the Pac-10 (now Pac-12) before remaining with the Big 12, armed with its own network. These defections and near-defections will eventually lead to the bursting of the dam. What will result is something like the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC boasting mega-conference status and hoarding all the BCS booty.
I suppose A&M sees this coming and wants to get the jump on the competition. But it’s doing it in an odd way. The SEC hasn’t said it wants A&M. In fact, a couple of weeks ago its presidents voted not to expand at this time, although it left that option open.
I guess the Aggies figure, “If we leave the Big 12, the SEC will HAVE to take us.” Hmmm. I don’t know about that. Maybe. But the SEC doesn’t appear to be the kind of business entity that gets dictated to. It seems like ? figuratively speaking, of course ? the type that would smother you with a pillow if a dollar could be gained from it. And I’m sure there are other schools the SEC might consider adding that would be more attractive than Texas A&M. Oklahoma, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Missouri, Clemson and West Virginia are among the schools mentioned in various reports.
And who knows? Maybe A&M has something else cooking. Perhaps there have been discreet cell-phone calls in the middle of the night to the commissioners of the Pac-12 or Big Ten, complete with whispers and giggles.
No, the Aggies seem to have some serious issues. They want to be respected and adored. They also want to text you about their love life, squabble with the neighbors, pick a fight with somebody at the gym and give you financial advice against your will.
They want to leave a longtime relationship to pursue somebody they perceive as more attractive, even if there’s no indication that party is the least bit interested.
The Aggies of Texas A&M. Right now the rest of college football is, like, so over them.
Michael Ventre is a regular contributor to NBCSports.com. Follow him on Twitter
