The race for Texas A&M’s conference allegiance is officially on.
Earlier, Texas’ House of Representatives Higher Education Committee set an Aug. 16 date to meet and discuss “matters pertaining to higher education, including collegiate athletics.” Invited testimonies included Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Chairman Richard A. Box, and A&M President R. Bowen Loftin.
The move appeared to be an attempt to combat A&M’s Board of Regents meeting scheduled for Aug. 22.
But A&M has now countered what could have been a preliminary strike against them by holding their own, newly-scheduled Board of Regents meeting set for Aug. 15.
And A&M doesn’t even try to hide it; the first item mentioned in notice is listed as Item 15, which reads:
Authorization for the President to Take All Actions Relating to Texas A&M University’s Athletic Conference Alignment, The Texas A&M University System
It would appear that Texas A&M is content on getting the hell outta Dodge before the Texas Higher Education Committee can have any sort of political pull in the matter. If this really is an invite from the SEC, the Aggies would then have to give a two-year’s notice, a one-year’s notice or less to the Big 12 before bolting -- the exit fees of which would vary depending on which route A&M took.
If that is indeed what’s going on here. But it certainly looks like that way at this point.