Six months and nothing about this leaked? Color me stunned.
And impressed.
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UPDATE:
“Minimum of 6 months” was evidently doing some heavy lifting in Bohls tweet.
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
Six months and nothing about this leaked? Color me stunned.
Greg Sankey is ice cold, man. He was working on this for half a year while keeping his member school with the most at stake in the dark and working with the Big 12 commish on the new playoff proposal.
— David Wunderlich (@Year2) July 23, 2021
And impressed.
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UPDATE:
Sources: The ACC and other leagues have made inquiries — through back channels — to Oklahoma and Texas. The schools are still expected to start the process of joining the SEC next week. The Texas and OU backchannel communication to the SEC has been going on for more than a year.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 23, 2021
“Minimum of 6 months” was evidently doing some heavy lifting in Bohls tweet.
Filed under Big 12 Football, SEC Football
“We remember the Sugar Bowl, I think it my junior year of high school, we let Alabama beat us twice,” Brinson said of a team that also lost to the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game. “We’re not letting Alabama beat us twice. In the Sugar Bowl in 2018, they… thought they should have been in the playoffs and lost to Texas.” -- AB-H, 12/27/23
Assuming Texas A&M doesn’t bolt due to anger and sadness over this, I want tickets to the first Texas-Texas A&M game in College Station.
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A&M isn’t going anywhere. The money is too good. And right now with the way Jimbo has recruited, they are a much better team than UT and will likely relish in pounding them a few times before UT can get it together.
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Imagine Super Bowl prices … then add 20%.
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Isn’t that akin to telling A&M “you can leave or you can get over it?”
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So, Ladd McConkey getting paid to endorse chocolate candy is the ruination of college football as we know it?
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If we’re being random, I think this is better:
https://kentuckysportsradio.com/main/georgia-cloned-herschel-walker/
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My guess is that at some point the Texas governor will tell A&M to shut up.
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Even with Texas’s recent struggles A&M has always had a major little brother complex to UT. (Not quite as pathetic as tech is with us but definitely ingrained in them, fwiw I’ve always thought their fan base and traditions were kinda weird) at the expense of pulling a Tony barnhart, I expect this to get kicked up a few notches assuming ut actually joins the conference.
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That cheer/dance routine/whatever thing those guys do pre game and on the sidelines is kinda gay. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
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It’s not quite “blowing the Admiral,” but yeah …
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Best guess at what happened here:
LHN hasn’t worked out as planned for Texas and they’re in need of a prestige boost. Oklahoma felt like they were being underpaid for their TV deal, especially without their own network.
Then the conversations about this 12-team tournament start happening. OU and Texas realize that their pathway to the playoff becomes a lot easier in the SEC at that point than it would with the current CFP, which was probably the one big thing holding them back. As the reality of the 12-team tournament materialized, talks got more serious.
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I am curious to know what role LHN’s success or lack thereof has played in this circumstance. Also I am curious to know that happens to LHN if and when Texas joins the SEC.
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I’m thinking the Ocho gets a lot more programming
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ESPN has taken a bath on the LHN and would love for it to go away.
No way the SEC let’s Texas keep the LHN, they would go into the SEC tv deal and be treated like every other conference member. Otherwise they can go pound sand.
Texas can play bully in the Big 12 but that crap wont fly here.
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Tell me how to feel about this, Senator! Bc right now I’m pretty excited!!!! Am I not being cynical enough? Shape my opinions, Great Leader!!!
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Curious about what others think as well. To me this is clearly a huge negative for Georgia football and materially diminishes our chances of winning the SEC or a national title.
Why would we ever support this? I get that it’s a positive for Greg Sankey and the high level administrators at each school, who will now have more money to pay themselves a higher salary, but in terms of broader self-interest regarding the ability for Georgia’s football team to compete and win championships, adding Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC is is a clear loser.
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If UGA gets stuck in the same division with Bama you are right.
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Georgia Fan: This doesn’t work for us getting a Natty
Money: You’re cute
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I don’t remotely understand this response. What is the point of bringing in more money to the football program if it doesn’t increase or help your chances of winning? Money is (or should be) a means to an end in college football, not and end in and of itself.
I’m not trying to be naïve…I understand that $ is good for the administrators making these decisions who can basically use the $ to pay themselves more, hence their self-serving enthusiasm for these type of deals. But in all other cases, moves made for the $ (playoff expansion) are also at least paired with additional justification beyond money (“fairness” or settling it on the field).
But in this case, I haven’t read a single article or explanation from anyone that identifies any benefit to the existing SEC schools beyond $. Given that, I’m genuinely shocked there isn’t more outrage at such blatant self-dealing and institutional capture. We jump to extreme outrage at the slightest provocation, yet here is a prime example of completely selfish behavior by a small group of elderly white men who are selling out their constituents purely to line their own pockets…and people kind of shrug and point to $ as if that is a sufficient explanation. All fans of the SEC should be at European Soccer Super League level outrage right now to try and prevent what is happening.
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It’ll be harder to win the SEC. But nobody cares about that anymore. Nobody remembers who wins the SEC basketball title. I don’t think this move has any significant impact on national title chances. When the playoffs expand to 12 or 16, basically the top 4-6 schools in the SEC will get in every year.
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Dude, you answered your own question. I actually agree with you and hate it. We’ll probably lose the deep south’s oldest rivalry. I don’t like this one bit. But you, me, and the rest of the people on this board collectively mean jack shit when it comes to this decision. You asked, why would we ever support this. WE don’t. But 14 ADs and their school presidents and board members care about that fat ass dirty dollar. Just because you say you aren’t being naive, doesn’t make it so. FFS, don’t shoot the messenger. It’s like you’ve never read this blog before. Sheesh.
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You must be new around here, lol.
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12 team payoff says differently. At least 4 SEC teams will get in every year. As long as we are top 4 in conference we are in. Annually. This is a good thing.
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rabe, if you really want him involved, just start a political discussion. He’ll be all over it!
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Damn, that’s ice cold! I didn’t expect that much savvy from a conference commissioner. Also, screw A&M and their stupid cult! Can’t wait to see that first Aggies vs Longhorns game.
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A&M’s A.D. is apparently nothing like Greg Mediocrity. If our former A.D. got a whiff of such a backstabbing plan he would’ve been asking how to help.
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I wouldn’t want to play Texas Holdem with Greg Sankey….
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I’m more amazed that nobody at UT spilled the beans.
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Just one more step on the way to getting Saban in their minds.
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They def need us more than we need them. They couldn’t afford to foul this up!
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I am with you Senator. I am absolutely stunned (if true how quickly this will happen) at the length of time where this did not get out.
That is astounding. Whether I like this or not (still processing), I am tipping my hat at Sankey. Impressive and balls of iron, IMO.
ED
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I guess when you are pulling recruits from all over the nation (and currently have members in Missouri & Texas), the “Southeastern” Conference is already more of a name than a description, but I’m just not feeling adding these two.
Get off my lawn, I guess, but I’d been happier taking on FSU, UMia, and/or Clemson. I still squint when I see Mizzou in the SEC East, f*ckin’ Oklahoma………
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Communications for months up to a year, doesn’t that violate transfer portal protocol?
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It’s very difficult to believe this has been kept a secret for almost a year. If true color me extremely impressed. Congratulations to all involved.
If A&M was unsure how the SEC felt about their importance to the league they certainly know now.
If Bama and Auburn come to the East with two eight team divisions I could really learn to like that as a 9 game league schedule.
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If Dan has to play the barn and bama each year, how much complaining will he do? will he ask to trade back and drop Saban and get LSU?
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Post of the day (except use Dopey or Sideshow instead of the Handbags’ coach’s first name)!
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Who in the FUck is dan…
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Yeah, I like this too. Would make the division much more regional, but Mizzou has to go west…
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And that would mean that it pre-dates the 12 team CFP talks too, right? Looks like they, oh who am I kidding, we ALL knew it was coming anyway.
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What do you do if you’re Vandy? I know they are a founding member and all, but wouldn’t life be better for them in the ACC? They’re surrounded by 7-8 superpowers in the game of football in this new arrangement. Just curious.
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The SEC cash is considerably better. Vandy isn’t going anywhere.
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Same with the A&M speculation by people of leaving due to their feelings being hurt.
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What do you do if you’re Vandy? Keep cashing huge checks, have a top baseball program, and keep sucking at football.
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And blow the Admiral.
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So I am assuming the new alignment will be:
East: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee & Vandy
West: Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas & Texas A&M
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4 team pods…I think that is what is coming.
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What’s coming is Armageddon!
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4 team pods. Each pod ‘winner’ gets a trip to the 16 team tourney
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My assumption is that Sankey has already lined up at least 11 conference schools behind this move before any of the folks at OU and UT would be willing to allow the news to get out. The OU and UT folks know how disastrous it would be to allow the news to get out and then have the current SEC schools bar their admission.
It is amazing that the other SEC schools kept the secret and didn’t let A & M know what was happening.
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“This shit’s about to get seriously Machiavellian.”
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I am so against this move. They do “not” belong in this conference. This is the Southeastern Conference. Bad enough that we added Miz & A&M. I still believe in regional integrity. Maybe this is simplistic thinking on my part, but I am old fashioned and believe that certain things should remain as they are.
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These guys nail it again
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Beat me to it
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I know we focus on football. And for good reason….BUT—-How sick is that women’s softball going to be. Haack should resign now so we can get a coach in to compete with these juggernaut golf teams. Basketball??? Baseball competition will be amazing. All of this should be fun.
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Agreed. Setting football aside, this really makes the SEC a juggernaut in a variety of sports outside of football and basketball.
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I like it, bring’em on.
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Damn OU/Texas. Just invite back Nebraska, Mizzou, Colorado, and A&M and go negotiate a massive ESPN deal.
ACC invite WV, Maryland, and the old Big East Teams plus maybe Penn St, Rutgers/ND, and split the PAC-12 schools among the Big12 and Big 10. AZ schools to the Big 12, yuppie true west coast teams to the Big 10.
Maybe the SEC pick up an ACC school or two.
Whatever, just don’t need over half the best programs in a single conference spread across thousands of miles. This current proposal will turn out to be VERY boring after a few years.
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Kirby out recruits OU and TX so this could be fun. That said, let’s get it done this year anyway.
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We’re getting pissed on and told its raining. These discussions have been going on for sixish months? How long has it been decided that the CFP Championship will expand to 16-24 teams?
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How many years before the SEC is the “national football conference” with its own national title game? 5?
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IMHO, effectively, the SEC champion IS the best team in the country every year since around, well, hard to put a date on that……
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It didn’t take long for the SEC Shorts crew:
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Man, the offseason had been slow but the last week has been like manna from heaven for bloggers and readers alike, huh Senator. 😉
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No kidding. 🙂
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And by the way, thanks for putting up with us all these years and continuing to publish the best Georgia football blog on the internet. I hope you continue to do the same for many years to come.
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Since the ‘07 season, has there been another pre-season hype? This is fun. Thank you senator for the consistent homologation of the media and your snarky takes. I hit most of the links you post, can’t wait for the games to be played.
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Hell, Throw in the addition of UT and OK? What a week….I am glad I can rightfully throw AU level of disdain toward OK now. The hate will flow Obi Wan.
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