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Go, Aggies, go ... but first understand rules of this new game
Posted Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011
By RANDY GALLOWAY
rgalloway@star-telegram.com
Those Aggies. Bunch of troublemakers.
But the senior boots were made for walking and marching, even when it comes to walking/marching out on 100-plus years of what I consider almost religious football tradition in the state of Texas.
The Aggies are going, going, gone to the SEC. Two weeks? A year? Don't know, but they are gone.
I've got no emotional ties to any of this Bevo 10 mess, except as almost a lifetime resident of our state, I don't want to see the departure. (Disclaimer: My daughter is a graduate of Texas A&M, but she's married to a UT grad, so it's a push.)
Yet, for the same reason I'm now a T-shirt/gimme cap "street alum" of TCU, the Aggies do amuse me in the right kind of way.
Gary Patterson has brought wreckage to the fraud that is the BCS. That pleases me greatly.
All A&M is telling us -- for the second time in 14 months -- is it doesn't want to be a house boy for the financial power and the financial glory that DeLoss Dodds has created in Austin.
Texas Tech, Baylor, even Oklahoma, they have to be Dodds' house boys, at least at the moment, because they have no other options. And while you've got to think the Sooners have a long- and short-range plan due to the foundation of quicksand the Bevo 10 is built upon, all the other schools are at the mercy of Texas.
To that, the Aggies are saying, "not us. Not anymore."
There's no problem with that from here. A year ago I wrote a "just go with them" column aimed at the Aggies, but that was when the Pac-10 was waiting on the arrival of Texas, Texas Tech, A&M, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
The Aggies put a kill on the deal. They refused to go. That's what saved the Bevo 10, not a Dan Beebe and certainly not a Texas. The Longhorns were ready to lead that invasion westward. Actually, I thought it was a great idea. Still do.
What then followed was the first A&M to the SEC threat. Again, I had a don't-do-it Aggies column, listing a variety of reasons. A&M, of course, didn't go, but only because the school administration ruled against a vast majority of former students.
So now? Go ahead, go, Aggies. Can't say I blame you, looking at the current and ever-changing landscape that benefits UT and only UT, which is a UT blessing. Those who have the power always benefit. Nothing wrong with that as long as you are the one empowered.
But stealing a question I've heard asked:
Has a five-win football team ever had this much power?
But since this move eastward to the SEC by the Aggies is strictly a football-driven thing, that leads to the obvious question. How in the world can the Aggies compete over there for even a divisional title?
The answer, of course, is easy. They can't. Not now. Even the go-go-go former students admit that, and, of course, the critics of the move constantly remind the Aggies of that.
Competing, however, is not about now, but more about five years from now.
Let me introduce, except not by name, a couple of people with some knowledge of the can-they-compete question.
One has strong Aggie blood as a former student, but also has SEC ties. I will stop right there on him, but he's qualified to talk on the subject.
His answer:
"To compete, two things have to happen. One, the admissions office in College Station has to loosen some standards on admitting recruits, and, two, you have to cheat."
Blunt, but factual.
(This is funny: The other day I was talking to a guy who knows the inside info at Oklahoma. He said the Sooners consider the SEC as a conference landing spot only in desperation. Why? Because OU is intent on cleaning up its previous image as a wide-open football factory, and you can't be in the SEC and do that. Really? The Sooners are going that clean on us?)
The Aggies were longtime proud members of the SWC. They know how to cheat in recruiting. On the academic side, NCAA changes are supposed to be coming to college football, but if you doubt the overall enforcement of these rules, join me in laughter.
Voice No. 2 will be identified as a prominent Texas high school football coach.
I asked him about the impact of recruiting in our state since the Aggies' move will throw the door wide open to the SEC monsters.
"It depends," he answered, "if the Aggies are allowed to come into the SEC under the fishbowl rules."
The fishbowl rules? What's that?
"When money is being offered," calmly explained the coach, "you can't go into another conference state and offer more money than what the school or schools in that state are offering. You can match the offer, just not go more."
Just when I thought I'd heard it all...
"Where you been? Under a rock?" asked the coach, who also noted the Aggies might actually benefit in recruiting, as long, of course, they are "fishbowled" into the SEC.
Go, go, A&M. But be sure to understand the "rules" over there better than I did.
Randy Galloway can be heard on Galloway & Co. weekdays 3-6 p.m. on ESPN/103.3 FM.
Randy Galloway, 817-390-7697
Posted Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011
By RANDY GALLOWAY
rgalloway@star-telegram.com
Those Aggies. Bunch of troublemakers.
But the senior boots were made for walking and marching, even when it comes to walking/marching out on 100-plus years of what I consider almost religious football tradition in the state of Texas.
The Aggies are going, going, gone to the SEC. Two weeks? A year? Don't know, but they are gone.
I've got no emotional ties to any of this Bevo 10 mess, except as almost a lifetime resident of our state, I don't want to see the departure. (Disclaimer: My daughter is a graduate of Texas A&M, but she's married to a UT grad, so it's a push.)
Yet, for the same reason I'm now a T-shirt/gimme cap "street alum" of TCU, the Aggies do amuse me in the right kind of way.
Gary Patterson has brought wreckage to the fraud that is the BCS. That pleases me greatly.
All A&M is telling us -- for the second time in 14 months -- is it doesn't want to be a house boy for the financial power and the financial glory that DeLoss Dodds has created in Austin.
Texas Tech, Baylor, even Oklahoma, they have to be Dodds' house boys, at least at the moment, because they have no other options. And while you've got to think the Sooners have a long- and short-range plan due to the foundation of quicksand the Bevo 10 is built upon, all the other schools are at the mercy of Texas.
To that, the Aggies are saying, "not us. Not anymore."
There's no problem with that from here. A year ago I wrote a "just go with them" column aimed at the Aggies, but that was when the Pac-10 was waiting on the arrival of Texas, Texas Tech, A&M, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
The Aggies put a kill on the deal. They refused to go. That's what saved the Bevo 10, not a Dan Beebe and certainly not a Texas. The Longhorns were ready to lead that invasion westward. Actually, I thought it was a great idea. Still do.
What then followed was the first A&M to the SEC threat. Again, I had a don't-do-it Aggies column, listing a variety of reasons. A&M, of course, didn't go, but only because the school administration ruled against a vast majority of former students.
So now? Go ahead, go, Aggies. Can't say I blame you, looking at the current and ever-changing landscape that benefits UT and only UT, which is a UT blessing. Those who have the power always benefit. Nothing wrong with that as long as you are the one empowered.
But stealing a question I've heard asked:
Has a five-win football team ever had this much power?
But since this move eastward to the SEC by the Aggies is strictly a football-driven thing, that leads to the obvious question. How in the world can the Aggies compete over there for even a divisional title?
The answer, of course, is easy. They can't. Not now. Even the go-go-go former students admit that, and, of course, the critics of the move constantly remind the Aggies of that.
Competing, however, is not about now, but more about five years from now.
Let me introduce, except not by name, a couple of people with some knowledge of the can-they-compete question.
One has strong Aggie blood as a former student, but also has SEC ties. I will stop right there on him, but he's qualified to talk on the subject.
His answer:
"To compete, two things have to happen. One, the admissions office in College Station has to loosen some standards on admitting recruits, and, two, you have to cheat."
Blunt, but factual.
(This is funny: The other day I was talking to a guy who knows the inside info at Oklahoma. He said the Sooners consider the SEC as a conference landing spot only in desperation. Why? Because OU is intent on cleaning up its previous image as a wide-open football factory, and you can't be in the SEC and do that. Really? The Sooners are going that clean on us?)
The Aggies were longtime proud members of the SWC. They know how to cheat in recruiting. On the academic side, NCAA changes are supposed to be coming to college football, but if you doubt the overall enforcement of these rules, join me in laughter.
Voice No. 2 will be identified as a prominent Texas high school football coach.
I asked him about the impact of recruiting in our state since the Aggies' move will throw the door wide open to the SEC monsters.
"It depends," he answered, "if the Aggies are allowed to come into the SEC under the fishbowl rules."
The fishbowl rules? What's that?
"When money is being offered," calmly explained the coach, "you can't go into another conference state and offer more money than what the school or schools in that state are offering. You can match the offer, just not go more."
Just when I thought I'd heard it all...
"Where you been? Under a rock?" asked the coach, who also noted the Aggies might actually benefit in recruiting, as long, of course, they are "fishbowled" into the SEC.
Go, go, A&M. But be sure to understand the "rules" over there better than I did.
Randy Galloway can be heard on Galloway & Co. weekdays 3-6 p.m. on ESPN/103.3 FM.
Randy Galloway, 817-390-7697
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