Are you pleased with the SEC Expansion adding Mizzou & A&M?

No. Really preferred FSU and Clemson.

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6) Should we addanother2 schools soon togetour expansion to 16?

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16 will happen whether we like it or not. Personally, I'm sick and tired of the expansion and "super conference" bullshite but it is gonna happen within the next 5 years. I have absolutely no idea who it will be and any speculation on my part is an uneducated guess.

As far as on the field, A&M has a ton of potential. They are situated in the best state for high school recruiting, and they can sell Texas kids on playing in the SEC. Their fanbase gets picked on a lot, but they definitely love their team and their stadium is SEC material.

Missouri doesn't have the same built in advantages. Pinkel will need to tweak his offensive philosophy to make it not so dependent on the QB run, which is what made it successful in the Big 12 with Franklin and Brad Smith. Even when Chase Daniel and Blaine Gabbert running the show, they still had no inside running game. They need several years of recruiting and an overhaul of what they want to do on offense.

I can't speak for every Aggie, but I LOVE being in the SEC. We are getting more publicity every week and every game as been on TV. That is a HUGE improvement from what we are used to. Just a few years ago, we had conference games that were not picked up on TV. The exposure we are getting is great.

I have only been to the UF and LSU games, but I was very impressed with how well the fans traveled to College Station. MUCH better than many Big 12 schools. Waco is only 90 miles away from CS, and Baylor usually only brought 2-4 thousand fans to the games in College Station. Same with Texas Tech, OSU, etc. UF and LSU easily tripled that number.

We have lost two games this year, but I believe we are heading in the right direction and am very excited about what is ahead.

I wasn't pleased with either school when they joined and I'm still not pleased.

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1) First to Mizzou and A&M Fans, what are your thoughts with being in the SEC so far? Are there any differences you notice from SEC fans compared to Big 12 fans?

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As far as being in the SEC I love it. We are 5-2 with a very good shot of ending up 9-3 (State being the swing game making the difference between 8/9 wins).

My first year at A&M was RC's last, I went through the entire Fran debacle, followed by the Sherman era which was better but left a lot to be desired.

To have the possibility to get to 10 wins with a bowl win in a "rebuilding year" in the toughest conference college football is something that is unexpected.

Add to that the fact that our 2 losses were to the #2 and #6 teams in the country by a combined 8 points and really could have gone either way (yes moral victory ... again Fran era ... I take any victory I can get)yeah I think that most Aggie fans are happy with the move.

My biggest disappointment is that the nutless bovines are little whiney biotches and, even with an open offer of anywhere any time, they refuse to play us. That's fine though because the disappointment is offset by no longer having to deal with their fan base.

The Tech, Baylor, and Texas fan bases are the largest collection of douche bags you will find in one place. The fans from SEC schools that I have interacted with in person don't have the underlying animosity that our former brethren have always exuded when I have interacted with them and the message boards are a lot more fun and a lot less pure filth.

In summary:
1) The move was good and the fact that we are having success before everyone expected us to makes it that much better.

2) The fan bases in the SEC are far superior to the trash in Big XII, even if they are slightly more inbred.

I didn't think I would like the expansion, but I think it is working out.

I am not really that excited about Mizzou, but that could be more to do with their team sucking balls. I am in wait and see mode with them.

It is cool living in Texas with an in state SEC team. I can now talk to more people at work and church about college football, not the pathetic Cowboys. I think the A&M fans have really embraced the SEC and they are exicted about it. That being said, I look forward to Bama destroying the Aggies when they visit T-Town.

2. I didn't like it before it happened and I still feel that way. Their fans are just as shitty as any other lower or mid-tier school that thinks they're better than they are before they're served a big glass of shut the frick up. But that's not why I didn't like it. They bring nothing, and they dilute the conference further. If they're bad, they drag down the strength of schedule. If they're good, they just make it harder for ANY team to go undefeated and win a NC. It's a lose lose.

5. No, how do they help the SEC fanbase? More people doesn't always bean better. And until I see some proof, I'll remain doubtful that they've helped any school receive more revenue.

6. frick no.

Comments: frick them and slive for letting them in.

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1) First to Mizzou and A&M Fans, what are your thoughts with being in the SEC so far? Are there any differences you notice from SEC fans compared to Big 12 fans?

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The chasm between the big12 and the SEC in terms of quality is unbelievably huge. Everything is better, except maybe the officiating. It sucked in both conferences. Fans are much better in this conference. Not even comparable.

Its one thing to always hear about the grind of the SEC, and its another thing to go through it. We are fortunate to have talent on this team and a coach who can get us to compete this early. I know Mizzou fans are hurting right now, but Im sure they are still are happy with the move.

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5) Was adding both schools good for the SEC fan base? We know its good for increased revenues.

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Monetarily, its going to be beyond good for all teams. Being objective, I can understand why many in the SEC are apprehensive. The SEC had a good thing going before we arrived, and I hope expansion only betters the conference. Either way, A&M is here to stay.

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6) Should we add another 2 schools soon to get our expansion to 16?

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Im not sure how necessary that is in the short term. Long term it may be inevitable, it may not.

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1) First to Mizzou and A&M Fans, what are your thoughts with being in the SEC so far? Are there any differences you notice from SEC fans compared to Big 12 fans?

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Love it - the excitement of the 2013 schedule release is a proxy for this. Aggies I know were hovering over their computers waiting for it to come out, then furiously reserving hotels, and finally coming back together to discuss how things shook out. I never experienced that in the Big 12. Part of it is newness, of course, but really, it's just more exciting to plan trips to LSU, Bama, Ole Miss, Starkville, and Auburn (sorry Arky, just not enough home games, though a lot of people are trying to get in for this last one next year) than trips to Waco, Ames, Stillwater, etc.

The only thing I miss is the rivalry - it feels a little forced right now, even with LSU. It will come back as we interact more and more as opponents, but the level of hate just isn't there yet.

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4) For Mizzou and A&M fans, how has travel been to SEC schools so far? Any special greetings?

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Haven't been to any away games yet (heading to Bama this year, LSU next year) but SEC fans have been very welcoming in Chicago whenever I came across them. There's a good SEC Chicago group that gets together - they threw a welcome party for us.

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6) Should we add another 2 schools soon to get our expansion to 16?

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I'm hesitant to, just because it dilutes the rivalries. But, I'd add VT (they aren't politically tied to UVA) and NC State.

1) First to Mizzou and A&M Fans, what are your thoughts with being in the SEC so far? Are there any differences you notice from SEC fans compared to Big 12 fans?

Couldn't be happier. A&M needed a change and the opportunity to go to the SEC with the cultural fit and the dominance of the conference was a dream come true. The SEC already is the best conference but in the next 5 years the gap is going to become like the Grand Canyon, you can already see it. SEC fans have been great for the most part.

Sure there is smack talk and a lot of "newbie hazing" but at least they are passionate and knowledgable. Most Big 12 fans really don't have much passion at all unless their school is winning. Even then they tend to be lacking in knowledge. Very few travel and almost all the venues suck.

2) How do the original SEC 12 schools feel about A&M and Mizzou and their fans? Do you have any personal stories to share from interacting with fans from either school?

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3) Has traveling to the 2 new schools been a pleasurable experience? If so, how? Have there been any special greetings?

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4) For Mizzou and A&M fans, how has travel been to SEC schools so far? Any special greetings?

For Aggies this will be better answered in 3 weeks. So far all we have is one trip to a rainy day in the Grove. Unfortunately I have some scheduling conflicts that are ruining my ability to make the road trips this year but have gotten plenty of feedback. Certainly the excitement about the trips compare only to when A&M would travel to Nebraska which honestly was the most SEC like team from a fan support perspective (though certainly they are pure Midwestern). OU was ok. Texas feels like going to a Cowboys game, it's all about the social event.

5) Was adding both schools good for the SEC fan base? We know its good for increased revenues.

Though I can't comment about SEC fan's perceptions the revenue is going to be SUBSTANTIAL. It's all about the coming SEC Network and being able to charge $1-2 per month per TV for every person in those states. With A&M and Mizzou that's over 30 million people and a ton of TV's. In 5 years the payout for SEC schools will be over $50 million per and honestly will be on track for $100 million in the coming years. It's going to be stupid money.

6) Should we add another 2 schools soon to get our expansion to 16?

Nothing will happen on expansion until or unless the ACC blows up. There are no quality schools available that the SEC would be interested in outside of that conference and realistically it will be a school from NC and Virginia with a small possibility of Maryland. FSU, Clemson, and GT are all great cultural fits but they don't add any TV's and thus they can't pull their weight financially. A school has to be worth $50 million plus per year to the conference to make the move and that really only happens by adding the NC and Virginia markets. Realistically within those it will be North Carolina and probably Virginia Tech though possibly UVA (remember Slive is a UVA grad and UVA is more powerful politically). NC State is unlikely to happen because NC controls the NC State Board and it is a part of their system. There is just no way NC allows NC State to make 2 or 3 times the revenue that they do in the SEC.

Honestly I think we are done with re-alignment for several years as things have stabilized with the ND move and the 2 conferences that would be plundered (ACC and Big 12) have ridiculous buyout provisions. Mainly though there is no incentive for anyone to move yet, the SEC and Big 1G don't need to do anything except count their money. The Pac 12 is in good shape and already controls the Western part of the US. There are no Big East schools or others that anyone wants, BYU is the "best of the rest" and they aren't really wanted by anyone nor do they really want to go anywhere. They only care about the pub for the Mormon church and that comes from playing an independent and national schedule.