Texas A&M did its part; next move belongs to the SEC

By Thomas O'Toole, USA TODAY

Updated 23h 50m ago

Texas A&M has made its decision and will leave the Big 12. The next move belongs to the Southeastern Conference.
Nine of 12 SEC presidents must approve any expansion of college football's dominant league. Adding A&M, which has publicly said it is interested in the SEC, would expand that conference's reach into the state of Texas. The SEC has said it will not move immediately on any decision on expansion. But that could mean a week or two at the most. And it would seem logical that A&M would know the SEC's answer before it made this move.
There seems little doubt the conference would take the Aggies. But what that means is the SEC would go from a 12-team league with six-team divisions and a conference championship game to a 13-team league.
So who's the 14th? And, do they even need a 14th? Conference and league school officials, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, have said they would be comfortable with 13 teams. But for how long? And how realistic is that? What SEC West team wants to add Texas A&M, currently No. 9 in the USA TODAY football coaches poll, without the SEC East taking in someone?
Names have been floated all summer of possible 14th teams, and the denials followed quickly. Clemson and Virginia Tech have been firm in the their desire to stay in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Virginia Tech presidential spokesman Larry Hincker again affirmed the school's desire to stay in ACC in an email to the Daily Press on Wednesday.

"Total poppycock. How many times do we have to say it? If one of these rumor mongers, would be willing to cite their 'multiple sources,' it might lend some credence. Frankly, we're tired of other people telling us what our future is.

"We are not interested. Nothing has changed. My president will not dignify wild speculation. Our last statement (from Aug. 12) still stands. Bottom line: this is not on our radar screen."

Florida State put out a release saying it is happy in the ACC and it has not had conversations with the SEC, but stopped short of declaring it would not leave.
FSU, ranked fifth, adds football luster but no geography. And any competitive recruiting advantage Florida has in the state ("If you want to stay in-state and play in the SEC, you have to play with the Gators") is lost if FSU joins.
Missouri was also mentioned, but the school in a release swore a loyalty oath to the Big 12. But this is the same school that publicly campaigned to join the Big Ten last year, and its one of the few viable candidates that broadens the SEC's footprint.
So where would the SEC turn? The league insists it is in no hurry. But can it afford to wait? The Big 12 is on record as already looking at expansion, either back to 10 teams or possibly to 12. Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany says he is comfortable with their 12-team conference. The Pac-10 just became the Pac-12.