A&M should say adios to Pac-10 and hello to SEC

If I’m the Texas A&M Aggies, I’m gone – and I don’t mean to the Pac-10. I’m headed to the SEC and I’m beginning my independence from the Texas Longhorns.

Let’s face it, the Texas/Texas A&M rivalry has been one of the most recognized in college football history and can continue to be but it isn’t like the Aggies have had great success against Texas. Mack Brown came in and completely changed everything at Texas while Coach Fran was doing his best to set the Ags back almost a full decade.

Unfortunately for Texas A&M, they aren’t considered in the same breath with Texas has excelled in basketball, baseball and football and has spent much more time on the national stage. Playing Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech each year is no walk in the park in college football so if the Ags were to move over to the SEC, it wouldn’t be like they weren’t used to playing some tough teams.

Texas is one of the kingpins in all of college athletics right now so they are going to call their own shots as it pertains to re-alignment but there is no reason that the Aggies have to just go along for the ride. From a financial standpoint, moving to the Pac 10 or SEC would be a win for the Ags, but why not branch out and join the preeminent conference in all of college football, the SEC? If you do well in the SEC, you are greatly rewarded. The benefit of the doubt always goes to the SEC because of its reputation.

Will it be difficult for the Aggies? Yes, but there is no reason to believe that they can’t come in and be as good as Ole Miss has been the last few years. Will they have to step their game up from a recruiting standpoint and get better, faster players on defense? Absolutely.

In my opinion, moving to the SEC would be like being thrown into a swimming pool and being forced to swim to survive. If you come in and don’t get it together, you will be like Vanderbilt or Mississippi State. If, however, the move there forces you to become more aggressive and gets everyone in the athletic and administrative offices off their collective asses because they don’t want to be in embarrassed, then the payoff can be huge.

The recruiting base is still going to be the state of Texas and there is more than enough talent to go around and still make Texas A&M competitive in a conference like the SEC — they just have to start getting a bigger piece of the recruiting pie — especially as it pertains to defense.

Let’s face it Aggies, you are much more closely aligned to the schools of the Southeast than the schools of the West Coast. Hell, Alabama’s best coaches have also gone through College Station and you’ve been in some mega-battles with LSU over players in past years (Harvey Williams). Why can’t you go into Louisiana and get some of LSU’s players now? It will be tough, but not impossible.

Texas does their own thing now. It is no longer Texas/Texas A&M attached at the hip. I know the big money, old school Horns and Ags will want to keep the two together, but I think the Ags need a fresh, new start and if the powerhouse known as the SEC wants to give them an invitation into their club, I say take it. You may get your hands a little dirty in the process, but hell, we all remember the old SWC days.

Lance Zierlein