Texas Football: A&M shocks by voting for SEC expansion

In the midst of a critical week for the likes of the Texas football program and Oklahoma Sooners to get into the SEC, it looked like one of the big hold-ups could be the rival Texas A&M Aggies. Since the news first dropped that Texas and Oklahoma could be attempting to leave the Big 12 for the SEC, Texas A&M appeared like it could try to do everything in its power to keep its two former conference foes from getting into the league.

But that previous thought of Texas A&M trying to hold up the Longhorns and Sooners from getting into the SEC is now an afterthought. During the vote of regents among SEC administrators to see about admitting Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, the Aggies actually voted in favor of the expansion of the league.

This is not only a surprising turn of attitude from the Longhorns Lone Star Showdown rival, but it signifies the shifting acceptance of these two schools to join the SEC. Texas and Oklahoma are (to a 99 percent confidence) going to become members of the SEC shortly, although the two schools will still be playing in the Big 12 for sports in the next athletic calendar year.

Texas football and Oklahoma overcome a big hurdle with Texas A&M voting for SEC expansion

Texas and Oklahoma informed the Big 12 of the schools’ intention to leave the conference earlier this week. That turned into a quick application for acceptance to the SEC to get this process going as fast as possible.

And this entire process moved very fast since it came to light roughly one week ago. With all of the fast-moving news cycle that has surrounded the Longhorns and Sooners in the past week or so, it feels like this departure from the Big 12 for the SEC actually first came about a few months ago.

But that’s just how much has happened in such a short span of time for these two programs. Texas and Oklahoma are soon about to join two former Big 12 foes in Texas A&M and the Mizzou Tigers back in the SEC.

Conference realignment is a conversation that is here to stay ahead of the vital 2021 college football season. But this conference realignment conversation has almost found a way to completely overshadow the start of all athletics in the coming weeks and months.