THROW ON SOME JORTS & BLACK OUT SOME TEETH: WE'RE HEADED TO THE SEC (?)

Happy Saturday:

Heavy emphasis on the ? in that headline above.  ESPN Alumns began tweeting this morning that everyone should watch sports center and sure enough on it Doug Gottlieb said and then tweeted: "High ranking source at Texas A&M confirms, going to SEC. Clemson, FSU, Mizzou likely to join."  I didn't see TV segment, but word is the high ranking source is from A&M, not Mizzou.

Not to be outdone, Alden did what he had to do: "No, no, no" he responded when pressed about ESPN reports.  Mr. Longhorn Beebe is also conducting a conference call--his first show of action in this crisis--at 3:00 pm today with the remaining 9 schools to discuss options of which there one: invite shitty Houston to join our shitty party and make our shitty "conference" as equally Texas heavy. Deets here: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/article_462f778c-c5bb-11e0-8cce-0019bb30f31a.html

Other ESPN folks now getting in on the SEC action.  David Pollick, former piece of shit LB from Georgia and now current member of the Game Day crew, tweeted: "With TEXAS A&M TO JOIN the SEC; CLEMSON, FSU, & MISSOURI are the next targets."  Not to say that Pollick is smarter than Gottlieb (I mean, in terms of smarts between them its like a contest to be the tallest midget) but I actually think he has the more nuanced view on this: A&M is joining and the list of potential others is (in order) Clemson, FSU, and Mizzou.  If Clemson says yes they then contact FSU and Missouri.  If one of the two of us say no, then its done.  They stick at 14.  If FSU and Mizzou both say maybe, they try to stiff arm us in.  Notice our place on the invite list: LAST.  The only reason we're even on the invite list is that, according to CBS Sportsline, Va Tech already told the SEC to piss off, they weren't joining.

So, where does it all stand:

(1) 3:00 pm today, Mr. Longhorn Beebe conducts a conference call with Big 9 AD's and gets everyone to reaffirm publicly and privately that the Big 9 is a solid sustainable league and everyone is committed to its future.  Basically, he tells everyone to lie a lot, and in public.  The issue will also be raised as to if we go with 9 and not have a automatic BCS bowl entry or add someone taking us up to 10.  Texas and OK will say add someone up to 10, so Beebe will start trying to add someone up to 10.  He starts with BYU who just starts laughing whenever they hear Beebe's voice on the phone.  He calls Louisville next, same response.  He calls Houston next and gets a tepid commitment they want to come but can't publicly say they want to join because....

(2) The PAC 12 is now recruiting the hell out of Texas again.  They have to make a choice to stay or go and that effects everything else moving forward.  Ironically, they'll ultimately do what their biggest rival, Oklahoma, does. Oklahoma is going to want to stay put because they are tied to OK State.  Texas, OK State, and OK can't all go to the PAC 12 because that would mean it would be the PAC 15.  If they want a 16 team conference, they might also take Texas Tech or try and take Kansas who doesn't want to go.

(3) Texas could also go independent and agree to play to Notre Dame, BYU, Oklahoma, and A&M every year as the base of a schedule that would, in theory, be strong enough to get them into national championship games.

(4) If Texas goes independent and/or joins the PAC 12/14/16 then its a scramble between the Big 10 (plus 2) and SEC as to who is going to take the rest of members of the Big 12/10/9/8/7/6.  It would seem Mizzou and Kansas would be best fitted to join the Big 10 (plus 2), but that's a long shot.

So in summary things could look like this:

Big "12" -- A&M to SEC and Houston/Air Force to Big "12"
Texas
Texas Tech
Baylor
Houston/Air Force
OK State
Oklahoma
Kansas
K-State
Iowa State
Mizzou

Or this:

Independent
Texas

SEC (14)
A&M
Clemson
FSU
Mizzou

PAC 12 (14)
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State

Shit-Out-Of-Luck
Baylor
Texas Tech
Kansas
K-State
Iowa State

Or this:

PAC 12 (16)
Texas
Oklahoma
OK State
Team X (BYU?)

SEC (16)
A&M
FSU
Clemson
Texas Tech

Big 10 (16)
Mizzou
Kansas
K-State
Iowa State

Shit-Out-Of-Luck (aka: The Big East)
Baylor

Some other updates before final thoughts:

(a) Chicago Tribune says Big 10 (plus 2) commish sez: "We have closed down active expansion."
(b) A&M Officials have scheduled a 3:00 pm press conference for Monday

Final Thoughts

Clearly, A&M is gone to the SEC.  Texas has to make a decision about its future and then all other futures will rest on that decision.  Right now, what is its motivation to leave the Big 9?  It has no motivation because it does whatever it wants without consequences.  In the next few days/weeks don't (1) believe anything you hear out of A&M as they are going to say Mizzou is leaving and coming with them because that's a final stab in the face to Texas and the conference and (2) don't believe anything Alden or Deaton say in public.  We went down this road before with the Big 10 and we got egg on our face.  We can't have that happen again.

Once again, we find ourselves on the outside looking in, waiting for something that we have no control or leverage over.  Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.  If--and its a big if--the SEC comes call we have to say yes even if it means leaving Kansas behind and even if it means terrible football records in the near future.  If a conference that is the best at something comes calling, you accept and work out the details later, especially when the conference you are in is ruled by one school and losing others one on an annual basis.

When the dust settles I think we'll be right where we already are: a second class citizen in a conference that is diminishing by the second.  But at least Houston will mean one more win a year in both sports, right?