I don't know if A&M really decided to leave a year and a half ago--I suspect not since the ridiculous Longhorn network wasn't yet a reality at that point. As for the ass kicking, better get used to that as an Aggie fan. It's not going to get any better against Bama, Auburn, and LSU on a yearly basis. Christ, for someone who's remarkably polite off the field, Blackmon is really teetering on douchebaggery between the white lines. Dumb ass nearly cost us the game. Those last few minutes needn't have been so nerve wracking if he weren't anticipating showboating and had held on to the effing football. Weeden was NOT pleased with him and said so to the paper. The local play by play guys, one of them a former player, said Gundy kept it private, but he also was not very pleased with Mr. Blackmon's idiocy and had a heated chat with him after the game.
Texas A&M's now been officially accepted into the SEC. They formally join next July 1 and will begin competing after that. So, they'll finish baseball in the Big 12(-3) and start football in the SEC. The main question on my mind is: Who will they open conference play with? LSU or Arkansas to renew the old rivalries or Alabama because of the Bryant connection?
Have fun with that, A&M. Seriously, though, I do think that's the best move for them. The Big 12 will be gone (or at least a shell of its former self) very soon, and A&M's program has been improving. They should be okay in the SEC. So, who do you guys think will be the 14th team?
Who knows? There are a lot of rumors about teams thinking or having thought about going to the SEC, but nothing concrete. If they manage to get one of the big name ACC schools like FSU or Virginia Tech, they have a chance to truly make the ACC irrelevant.
I would have said West Virginia's a good option, especially after they showed up well against LSU until the last five minutes - seriously, trailing by six and then they completely collapsed when the Tigers got some hard momentum. Real shame, because I was hoping to see LSU lose and I like the 'Eers. But apparently the SEC turned them down already... Overall not a great weekend for CFB with Alabama crushing the Hogs and Florida destroying Kentucky.
According to Tony Barnhart on the pregame show before the Hog killin' in Tuscaloosa, the SEC is willing to wait a year before picking up #14. They've reportedly put together a couple of scheduling models they're comfortable with at 13. From a TV standpoint, Virginia Tech's the most desirable option out there. They're competitive, without being too tough, and their addition means the current divisional alignment for the original 12 could be maintained. No moving Auburn into the East with the possible disruption of rivalry games which would follow. It might mean moving or losing the Iron Bowl or the annual game between Alabama and Tennessee though it would mean restoration of Auburn's once-annual game against Florida. The real issue with VT or FSU is whether or not they want to move. The Syracuse-Pitt move and the rumored additions of UConn and Rutgers to the ACC indicates to me they're thinking of basketball at least as much as football. With the Tarheels and Duke among others driving the direction of ACC expansion, it's possible one of the football schools might decide to jump. FSU and Maryland voted against raising the conference buyout to $34 million rather than the $20 million approved. Barnhart indicated he took it as a sign they were keeping their options open.
I've liked the idea of VTech for awhile now since they'd be a natural rival for my Vols, but breaking up the new ACC might be tough. I do want to see something from the East though, because there's no way the Iron Bowl gets lost, and I'd be sad to lose the Third Saturday in October.
I just wish they actually played on the Third Saturday most years. And I'd like to see a return to the crimson and orange jerseys like they used to wear before TV took over. It'd be beautiful.
Yeah, that would never happen. Personally, I'm a GT alum and a football fan, and not a basketball fan, so I hope that FSU and VT decide to stay with the ACC.
Bucky did a nice job fucking up Nebraska upon their entrance into the Big 10 tonight. Let's go Wisconsin!!!
I went to the Navy-Air Force game yesterday in Annapolis. AF blew an 18 point lead 4th quarter lead. In OT USNA missed the PAT, which ended up costing them the game. It was wild.
c'mon aggies. my liver has just recovered from grad school. don't make me start drinking again. but seriously, how do you fuck up a big lead two games in a row?
My Gophers got slaughtered by Michigan 58-0. Worst Big 10 loss in Minnesota history. So much for my earlier optimism.
After watching the Arkansas game at last on my DVR, I can tell you without doubt what the problem is--Texas A&M has a lousy conditioning coach. It's all the Oklahoma commentators could talk about after the O-State game, how visibly winded the Aggies were at the end while the O-State players, who weren't accustomed to the heat during the last month as its been much cooler in OK, were still full of energy. I was skeptical until I watched the Arkansas game. It's the same exact thing. Aggies visibly winded. You can't get a team conditioned in a week or less. They have to have been engaging in a proper conditiong program during the off season. You can't play catch up. They're wearing out during the second half.
Christ on a cracker, O-State hung 70 on Kansas this afternoon. Gundy took Weeden out before half time, and they still hung 70 on them.
What perplexes me in the realignment situation is what teams the Pac-12 might add if the Big 12 is able to stabilize (particularly if TCU, Boise State, and/or Nevada moved to the Big 12). There's very little competitive density in the West outside of the teams that would already be affiliated with major conferences. The Pac-12's academic requirements would limit their options further.