Texas A&M Would Be Nuts to Leave Big 12 for SEC

When talking to a friend who wants to cheat on his wife in the movie "Why Did I Get Married?", Malik Yoba's character talks about the 80-20 Rule, which says that in relationships, you likely have 80 percent of what you need, and if you cheat, you're chasing the 20 percent of what you want.

Please, can someone explain the 80-20 Rule to the Texas A&M Board of Regents and the chorus of Aggies who are pining to join the Southeastern Conference?

As a Texas A&M graduate, and a major football fan — I have season tickets to the Houston Texans and often fly home to attend games — it is clear that Aggies are reacting with misplaced emotions and ego run amok that has nothing to do with logic.

Last year, it was the Pac-10's aggressive pursuit of the University of Texas and Colorado and Nebraska bolting to the Big 10. When the Big 12 made concessions to A&M and Texas in the form of a bigger payout, both schools re-affirmed their commitment to the Big 12. Now that Texas has signed a 20-year, $300 million deal with ESPN to launch the Longhorn Network, Aggies are raging mad, suggesting the partnership will give the T-sips (our nickname for Longhorns) an unfair recruiting advantage.

The anger of Big 12 schools at the Longhorn Network with regards to airing high school football games, as well as pulling games away from the Big 12 TV package, are more than legitimate. But here are some fundamental issues that Aggies need to accept in their belief that the SEC will mean greener pastures:

- Go ask Arkansas. In 1990, Arkansas bolted from the Southwest Conference for the big money of the SEC. A powerhouse in the SWC, Arkansas took the money and ran, but for years, it was a laughingstock in the SEC. How many BCS games has Arkansas played in? One. The 2011 Sugar Bowl was their first-ever BCS bowl game. Football national championships won as a member of the SEC? None. Men's basketball? One. SEC football titles won in SEC? None. So Arkansas has banked a lot of dough, but has it translated to major bowl games and football titles? Not at all.

- Three critical letters: B-C-S. Right now, the Big 12 is one of six conferences with automatic bids to the Bowl Championship Series. If Texas A&M left, that goes out of the window. Right now, the power teams in the Big 12 are Oklahoma, Texas, A&M and Oklahoma State. If you want a shot at a national title and the big money paydays, it's smarter to stay put than add yourself to a SEC logjam.

- Competing with Texas. Look, one of the reasons why Texas has dominated the football scene in the state during the last decade is because the Aggies have sucked. Is that too strong of a word? Fine. We've been grossly mediocre. When Texas A&M was winning, we were dominant nationally, and in a number of years, overshadowed the University of Texas. The only thing that will turn that around is winning. Yes, winning cures everything. If A&M had maintained its success on the field, it would have a stronger hand to play. Right now, it doesn't. Texas does.

- Lose the Texas inferiority complex. Land-grant universities have always fought this. Look at Alabama and Auburn. The Tide has always seen itself as the more urbane university, while Auburn has been portrayed as the country hick. In Kansas, K-State is treated as a second-class school, compared to the more cultured University of Kansas.

In the Lone Star State, A&M has always fought being second fiddle to UT. UT is located in Austin, and governmental leaders have always seen it as the flagship school, and for years, they've deposited the big money there and not in College Station. Fine, it is what it is. But use that as a chip on your shoulder. Running off to the SEC won't solve that. Aggies need to have high self-esteem and not give a flip about the Longhorns. When I came out of Jack Yates Magnet School of Communications, I was told UT had the top journalism program. I didn't care. Aggieland felt better, and I didn't have to wear that hideous burnt orange. No doubt my career has turned out fine. When Aggies say they are operating in the shadows of Texas, it's about low self-esteem. Running away doesn't solve that. Taking it on head-on is the only way to get over it.

- In-state rivalries matter. The beauty of the SWC was that nearly every school was located in the Lone Star State. That is not the case with the Big 12, but it's still great to see the amazing rivalries in the workplace. We won't have the same intensity with Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State as we do with Baylor, Texas Tech and UT. There will be nothing special about facing any school other than UT on Thanksgiving.

Rivalries have meaning and go far beyond football. For goodness sakes, the entire Aggie War Hymn is aimed at the University of Texas! We hate one another, whether it's softball, soccer, swimming, golf, handball, lacrosse, equestrian or track-and-field. Going to the SEC means that amazing back-and-forth is gone. In essence, Texas A&M is willing to sell its soul for the big bucks of the SEC.

Texas A&M has a better shot of being a dominant school in sports by staying right where they are. That 20 percent may look good today, but there is no doubt that if the Texas A&M family walks away from the 80 percent, they will regret it for years to come.