re: So A&M was left in the dark, then fiercely fought against expansions…then bent the knee?

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There is literally no way to approach this without looking bad, especially being blindsided by the news. It is disappointing that those a-holes were thrown a lifeline by our own conference partners after we had them trapped in a program-destroying box for 10 years, which is way better than they deserve. But, we get more money and they have much less power and influence, which they have NEVER experienced before. I can't wait for their temper tantrums when they realize that they have one vote and nobody gives a flying duck if they leave.

The way this worked out is exactly how it should have worked in a conference full of equal partners. No one school can unduly influence all the others.

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Texas has had an overhaul within its administration at both the AD and President and on down over the last couple of years. Less voices and hands in the cookie jar making decisions.

From 1998-2006 Larry Faulkner a Texas grad served as the President, same time period the football program and really all 3 major men's sports at Texas took off back to the top. From 2006-2020 Texas had William Powers and Greg Fenves as Presidents, 2 Cal Berkley graduates and it was during that time that Texas very much tried to be like Stanford and you saw the effects on its athletic department in the following years until today.

Current UT president is Jay Hartzell, Texas Grad. Since Del Conte was hired you've seen Texas make a 180 from all but being in the leftist Pac 12 10 years ago to sitting here today in the SEC. Under Del Conte there has been a very apparent shot across the aisle from the athletic department to the academic administration to sit down, shut the frick up, and stay in their lane.

The SEC will be Texas home for a very long time, I won't say forever because who knows what will happen as most of us never thought they would see Texas in the SEC to begin with. This is not Deloss Dodds Texas, the a-hole who viewed a women's track conference title on the same level as a men's football national title.

The reason the SEC works the way it does is because it has several members that equally bring something to the table. Texas will gladly take an equal seat at the table with Alabama, LSU, Florida, Georgia, Auburn, Florida, etc... Texas for most of its existence however, has been the tit that every school in the state has suckled from thanks to a state legislature that shackled them to that position until A&M left for the SEC. If you think Houston, SMU, Rice, Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, brought the same to the table as Texas, Texas A&M, and Arkansas you are out of your damn mind. Same can be said for the Big 12. The SWC would be like putting LSU, Alabama, and Auburn in a conference with LA Tech, Tulane, Troy, ULM, ULL and saying they should all be equal partners..

This should be fun, and looking forward to being in the SEC, especially baseball. Baseball in this conference is going to be a blood bath