Why it makes absolutely no sense for Texas A&M to leave SEC for the Big 10
Over the last few months, there has been a strange storyline popping up here and there about Texas A&M. Aggie fans have been repeatedly perplexed to see claims and discussion in the college sports world about the idea that A&M would be departing the SEC for the Big 10.
Now, as far as I can tell, the only person who is reporting this and claiming to have sources telling him this is a guy named Greg Swaim. If you are anything like me, you have never heard of this guy before he started spouting off about this specific piece of prospective conference realignment, but from what I can gather, he is a guy who puts on youth basketball camps and is passionate about Wendy’s and Doordash. Oh yeah, and he has a radio show.
Certainly not expecting it soon, but the #TAMU to the #B1G rumor does have legs. More money, no #Longhorns and Aggies being told if they make this move will have veto power if Texas tries to move again. pic.twitter.com/WpYHn7DfZ2
— GREG SWAIM SHOW (@GSwaim) January 5, 2024
He keeps tweeting stuff like this. Also stuff like this:
Yormark on the prowl again, as the #Big12 will be aggressive on expansion. Buckle up #ACC, as while the #SEC and #B1G may not add for a while, Yormark will be more aggressive, as he's hinted he knows what's going to happen very soon in the #ACC, and particularly #Clemson and…
— GREG SWAIM SHOW (@GSwaim) July 10, 2024
I am not claiming to have any inside sources on this, but this really makes no sense for the Ags. First of all, on what basis is he claiming that the Aggies would make more money if they went to the Big 10? The SEC TV deal could pay out as much as $1.3 billion per year to its members; meanwhile, the Big 10 TV deal as currently constituted is for $7 billion total over 7 years.
I can tell you right now that average revenue in the big three sports would likely go down as a direct result, too—the viewership would decline with fewer marquee games and less regional rivalries, not to mention that Big 10 baseball is nigh nonexistent.
The regionality is another salient point; the Big 10 is such a geographical diaspora at the moment so as to completely lack any sort of regional unity. I know it’s probably highly scandalous to not get excited for Washington-Rutgers, too, but I have to be honest: that’s not a very compelling pairing, and certainly not worth the 3,000 miles of travel it will require.
By contrast, Texas A&M’s longest trip in the SEC is to Columbia, South Carolina, for one of the most storied rivalries in the sport. The Bonham Trophy game is an annual tradition for generation of Aggies.
The veto power thing is nonsensical as well. The Aggies were given this guarantee when they joined the SEC; why would they believe it is any more true now than it was then? Even if it were true, that’s not near enough to entice the Ags to switch conferences in and of itself. Transgressed agreements in this regard are a sore spot for some Aggies, but there are a lot of Ags who look forward to playing the Longhorns year in and year out again.
This is just one of those rumors that makes very little sense upon close examination. With conference realignment big in the news right now, as many teams make their switch official, it makes sense that it is making the rounds—it would be a pretty huge move, if it ever actually happened—but I would be more than shocked if anything ever really materialized here.