Thanks for the links had not seen any modern references. I am old and grew up on the stories when my dad played in the SEC (not quite the leather helmet days but close enough) and my grandfather (grew up in the NOLA / Mobile / So MS triangle) and my great grandmother (who went from the Civil War to the Space Age) and saw much in her lifetime.

FWIW, some other tidbits you may not know

Vanderbilt (under Dr Dudley) started the SIAA, which became the SoCon, which the SEC broke away from in similar times to now (super conferences and paying players).

Vanderbilt was an early football power and had around dozen Conference Championships in the early years

TAMU and the cow school in austin were originally conference members (TAMU was a winner back then, austin was not) and austin cried boo hoo and left to form the SWC (and later got TAMU to join them).

Even before they dropped Vanderbilt to play you guys in the State Fair they thought they were better than everybody else. My guess is you guys will do fine in the SEC as you have paid your sports dues. I wonder if a decade in, if austin will once again run away because they can not dominate. I will probably not live to see it but hopefully this time TAMU and you guys will stay behind and let austin leave.