Hey, look who’s developed a sudden attack of conscience!
Oklahoma and Texas heading to the SEC is looking increasingly likely by the hour, but that doesn’t mean all is nirvana within the athletic offices of schools throughout the conference.
As we reported here on Wednesday evening, discussions have been happening between the SEC office and the two Big 12 schools since late last year. As is so often the case in college athletics, it appears the deal was almost done by the time the backdoor dealings became public knowledge.
Much has been made about Texas A&M’s feelings on the potential addition. Athletic Director Ross Bjork spent Wednesday afternoon on a media blitz, making it clear to everyone in Hoover that he didn’t want the league to add another team from Texas.
The SEC’s members have had a gentleman’s agreement for years that the conference wouldn’t add a team in a state that one of the league’s institutions already resided in. Well, not anymore.
Said an SEC source to Dawg Sports, “The last time around it was about opening up new states and metropolitan areas for television deals. This time it’s about cumulative eyeballs.” In the era of streaming, brands like the Longhorns and Sooners are a massive coup to the league.
A high-ranking official at the University of Georgia, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Dawg Sports that the school understands that, but they don’t necessarily like it. “It will never be public knowledge because the school will present a united front with the rest of the conference, but nobody in the administration is really excited about this.”
Let me see if I’ve got this straight. A notoriously money-grubbing organization that was fully on board with a poorly thought out, strictly for revenue enhancement, conference expansion move accomplished by taking two teams from the Big 12 now has grown a pair of scruples over another round of revenue-enhancing conference expansion accomplished by taking *** checks notes *** two more teams from the Big 12?
Oh, puh-leeze. Just STFU and stuff a few more bills under the reserve fund mattress, okay?
Get The Picture 