A&M officially notifies Big 12 of its intentions

By Matt Tait     Aug 25, 2011

The first step is now out of the way… sort of.

For the first time since Conference Realignment Part Deux reared its ugly head, officials from Texas A&M have let their intentions be known.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, A&M president R. Bowen Loftin said: “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. While we understand the desire of all parties to quickly reach a resolution, these are extremely complex issues that we are addressing methodically.”

During the past couple of weeks, Loftin and other A&M officials had confirmed that conversations between the Aggies and the SEC were ongoing, but this was the first we’ve seen in terms of them saying that they are actively pursuing their options.

Many have believed all along that the Aggies will leave the Big 12, leaving the conference, which lost Colorado and Nebraska a year ago, with just nine teams. Conference and university officials have said the league would and could survive with nine teams but the rumor mill has been hot with talk about which schools the Big 12 might pursue should they look to expand to 10, 12 or even 16 in the wake of A&M’s departure.

With A&M all but gone — all that needs to happen now is the SEC has to invite them officially and the Aggies have to cough up some cash — let’s turn our attention to potential replacements.

Here’s a quick look at what’s being talked about around the web regarding the new-look Big 12.

This report, from the Dallas Morning News, says SMU is openly auditioning for a spot.

This one, from Vahe Gregorian of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, says Notre Dame, BYU and Air Force are at the top of the Big 12’s wish list.

This one’s short but sweet and says the Louisville likely won’t leave the Big East even if invited to the Big 12.

Houston’s another name that keeps popping up. Here’s where the Cougars stand as of a couple of weeks ago.

Some of these are a week or so old. Some are fresh. But now that A&M’s out in front of this thing a little bit, expect the rumors to start flying again.

The guess here is that the Big 12 will sit at nine teams until it’s reasonably sure that it can make a splash with expansion. Does that include Notre Dame? It should. But if the Irish truly aren’t interested, then it wouldn’t have to.

Adding Notre Dame would be hitting the jackpot, one of those where the coins come pouring out so fast you can’t keep your bucket in front of them fast enough.

But if Notre Dame chooses to remain independent or explores a home elsewhere, there are plenty of other prizes that would pad the Big 12’s pocket book just fine. It may take a few pulls to get there, but my guess is it would be worth the wait.

Stay tuned…

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.