Reports: Texas A&M Contemplating Move To SEC

Corey DeMoss, News9.com

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – According to preliminary reports that surfaced Thursday night, Texas A&M is in the process of deciding whether it will leave the Big 12 conference for the SEC.

AggieYell.com first reported that Texas A&M already had decided to leave the conference, but that may have been premature. The Sporting News later said that original report was "just not true."

"Way premature," an SEC source told the Sporting News. "Our conference presidents and athletic directors haven't met about it, and that has to happen before anything goes forward. There's a lot of work to do before we're anything close to that."

Orangebloods.com gave more details, saying the SEC has called an emergency meeting to be held Saturday to address the pending addition. Texas A&M released a board of regents agenda Friday that says the board will address "Texas A&M University's Athletic Conference Alignment." The meeting at which this vote will occur is scheduled for Aug. 15.

Rumors of Texas A&M leaving the Big 12 have been swirling for months. The Aggies reportedly were upset about ESPN's agreement with the University of Texas to give the school its own network, as well as the original plan that allowed high school football games to be broadcast on the network.

When the rumors first started, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe told the Austin American-Statesman that he was taking the reports "very seriously." With this newest information giving the original rumors far more weight, the threat could become even more serious than originally anticipated.

Orangebloods.com also cited anonymous sources who said the SEC is interested in adding a total of four schools to become a 16-team super conference. In addition to Texas A&M, the conference is reportedly targeting Oklahoma and Oklahoma State from the Big 12, and Virginia Tech and Florida State from the ACC.

Texas A&M's departure from the Big 12 conference is not official and cannot be made so until the vote on Aug. 22. If the school were to leave the conference, the change would go into effect in 2012. News9.com will keep you updating as more details become available.