Surprising team could be exiting the SEC

The Texas A&M Aggies have been in the news lately as rumors are swirling around them leaving the SEC. To put a brake on this, it is more than likely not happening. The rumor began swirling late February after an article by Sportskeeda’s Farouk Yusuf came out rumoring that the Big Ten was targeting the Aggies.

Even if it started on the internet, it is still intriguing to think about the Aggies switching leagues as they have yet to win the SEC Championship, let alone the SEC West since joining the league in 2012.

Reasons it makes sense for Texas A&M to join the Big Ten.

A better record: The Aggies may actually have a chance to win the Big Ten. Instead of having to compete against LSU, Alabama, Georgia and Texas each year, they would be competing against Ohio State, Michigan and whoever the b-list teams are on any given season. This would be a much easier path than the one they have been on.

Not competing against the Texas Longhorns: The score in this rivalry is in favor of the Longhorns 76-37-5. Now that the Longhorns are in the same conference, having to compete against them every year when they have only won 31% of the contests would be a victory in itself one can argue not having to play them again.

Texas Longhorns football on the rise: On top of that, the Longhorns appear to be on the rise in recruiting and on the field as well under head coach Steve Sarkisian. The Longhorns just came off their first 11 win season since 2009.

Only school in Texas in the Big Ten: Recruiting would be easier as well, given that they would have the pitch of being the only school in the state of Texas. And not only in the state of Texas, but one of the few schools with nice weather year round that would play in the conference with the other being USC.

Why did Texas A&M and Missouri get an invitation to the SEC?

The real lures the whole time looking back on it were probably Texas and Oklahoma. Getting Texas A&M and Missouri to the SEC first was a way for the SEC to expand its market into two states it was not yet in in Texas and Missouri, with the hopes of eventually grabbing others from the state of Texas specifically. And with the addition of the Texas Longhorns beginning in 2024, they absolutely have.

Now that the Longhorns are joining the league more than a decade later, the invitation may seem less appreciated to the Aggies who had little control in the expansion of their in-state rival being invited to the league and having to play them annually.