Junction

After the Board of Regents granted Dr. R. Bowen Loftin permission to take on all duties related to conference alignment earlier this month, the A&M president held a brief press conference. At the time I thought one of his answers was curious.

On August 15th I wrote,

“A big moment of today’s press conference was Loftin describing the way that leaving the Big 12 would take place, comparing the situation to the University of Nebraska from a season ago.

“All I can tell you is that looking at last year when we had two departing members, I recall in particular the letter that was sent to us by the University of Nebraska which said simply that “If we are extended an invitation by the Big 10, we would then withdraw from the Big 12.” That’s how their letter spoke. Of course I haven’t done that at this point in time.”

Now, what’s important is that how A&M would leave the Big 12 wasn’t the question asked, he was asked whether or not A&M would need to leave the Big 12 before being invited to the SEC. That’s an important fact to me, as Loftin chose to volunteer the information about Nebraska a season ago as a possible way that the Aggies could go about leaving the conference.”

Well we didn’t have to wait long to see why Loftin chose to volunteer that.

On Thursday afternoon A&M followed the procedure that Nebraska followed a year ago by informing the Big 12 that they are going to explore their conference options.

This is just the first step of a few that have to be followed before the Aggies can join the Southeastern Conference, but the first step is always a big one. Over the coming days the Aggies will apply for admission into the SEC and will then have to pass a league vote to be admitted.

Here is the full statement from Texas A&M:

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M University today officially notified the Big 12 Conference that it is exploring options related to the institution's athletic conference affiliation. Texas A&M also requested that the Big 12 outline the process to be followed should the university elect to withdraw from the conference.

In the letter to Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe, Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin indicated that if the university withdraws from the conference, Texas A&M would do so in a way that complies with the Big 12's bylaws. Additionally, Texas A&M would be supportive of the Big 12's efforts to seek a new member of the conference.

"As I have indicated previously, we are working very deliberately to act in the best long-term interests of both Texas A&M and the State of Texas. This truly is a 100-year decision," said Loftin. "While we understand the desire of all parties to quickly reach a resolution, these are extremely complex issues that we are addressing methodically."

"Ultimately, we are seeking to generate greater visibility nationwide for Texas A&M and our championship-caliber student-athletes, as well as secure the necessary and stable financial resources to support our athletic and academic programs," Loftin added. "As a public university, Texas A&M owes it to the state's taxpayers to maximize our assets and generate additional revenues both now and well into the future."