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Did Texas join the Southeastern Conference because of in-state foe Texas A&M?
That’s what the SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum said on Friday’s episode of The SEC Football Podcast. Finebaum, the eponymous host of the famous SEC Network show “The Paul Finebaum Show,” said the Longhorns pursued an opportunity to join the top football conference based on the significant success of their in-state rivals, Texas A&M, in the SEC.
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“It’s A&M’s fault,” Finebaum said, explaining why he believes Texas joined the SEC. “A&M was so successful in the SEC that Texas said, ‘We want some of that.’”
Finebaum added that at one point in 2010, Texas was looking to join the Pac-12, as the university wanted to align its education with schools like Stanford and California. Both schools have left the dissipated Pac-12 and will join the ACC conference the following academic year.
How did Texas join the SEC?
Texas and Oklahoma first got approval to join the SEC in July 2021. Then, on Feb. 9, 2023, the two universities agreed to leave the Big 12 Conference early in July 2024, ahead of the 2024 football season. Finebaum said that the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey were not the aggressors in seeking to add Texas and Oklahoma.
Instead, Texas initiated the process.
“All this nonsense we heard, ‘Oh, well the SEC,’” Finebaum added. “The SEC didn’t do anything but answer a phone call. Their attorneys answered a phone call, the same phone call that everyone else got. They were on the prowl, they were leaving, and they were going to go somewhere.”
REQUIRED READING: How to leave a conference in 10 days: A timeline of how Texas and Oklahoma invaded the SEC
Texas A&M’s success in the SEC
On Aug. 31, 2011, Texas A&M announced it would leave…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/sec-networks-paul-finebaum-why-185839843.html
Author : Austin American-Statesman
Publish date : 2024-04-08 18:58:39
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