Respect won’t come easy for SEC newcomers, and it’s not just because they are coming over from the Big 12, but that does play a part. The Big 12 is a fine conference, possibly the second best in college football. But everyone knows the Big 12 is only good because of Texas and Oklahoma, not because of Colorado, Texas Tech, A&M or Mizzou. Nobody says Ocean’s Eleven is a cool movie because Elliot Gould and Casey Affleck are in it.

This expansion rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning because it felt like expansion for expansion sake. A blatant cash grab in a sport that doesn’t pay its players. Texas A&M is added because they are in a huge state and Missouri brings… ah…. the St. Louis television market? Sure, let’s go with that. It feels cheap and lazy. We whiffed on Texas and Oklahoma and Florida and South Carolina are blocking the additions of Florida State and Clemson so that leaves the two nonathletic kids in the corner.

Texas A&M is the Johnny Drama of college football. They are the University of Texas’ less talented, less interesting brother. It feels like they are always hovering around the 23 to “also receiving votes” spot in the rankings and that’s mainly because they are consistently overrated. I say they are overrated because they have only won 3 of their last 12 bowl games, and I wouldn’t brag about wins in the Meineke Car Care Bowl or the Galleyfurniture.com Bowl. They’ve had 1 Top 25 finish this millennium (2010 – 19 and 21, disrespectfully). In my lifetime they are known mainly for novelty acts like The 12th Man, Bonfires and Asian Linebackers.

Last season A&M had flashes where they felt like a top 15 team leading Oklahoma State and Arkansas, 2 of the top 8 teams in football last year, by double digits, but they blew both games. They were not ready for prime time, yet, that is where they find themselves.

But, hey, at least they have an image, which is more than I can say for Missouri. Missouri Football is usually only mentioned in the sentence, “Didn’t Chase Daniel play at Missouri?” And that sentence is only said 4 times a year, at most, by people like me who pay way too much attention to college football. Their addition to the SEC reminds me of the running gag on Arrested Development, where Michael Bluth never remembers his son’s boring girlfriend. “Her? What, is she funny, or something?”

I did an experiment with three people where I named a college football program and ask them to say the first thing that comes to mind. I said Florida and they all said, “Tebow!” I say Alabama and they all said, “Bear Bryant!” All three times the questions ended at Missouri after the person goes into a blank stare and eventually drifts into a Terri Schiavo-like drooling state. Eventually I decided I should probably stop the experiment. Missouri was literally boring people to death.

It’s not like the SEC is impervious to mediocrity. Kentucky and the states of Tennessee and Mississippi are getting pretty good at being average, but don’t think it’s easy to be an also-ran in the conference that has won the last 6 BCS National Championships.

Vanderbilt’s journey to the middle of the SEC East is the stuff Disney Movies are made of. If Missouri and Texas A&M want to come in and just blend in like they did in the Big 12 they are going to need to step up their play. Missouri appears to at least be heading in the right direction after signing Dorial Green-Beckham, the mega recruit who looks like a hybrid of Andre Johnson and Lebron James. It’s a start.

It’s going to be a tough season for the SEC newcomers, there is no way around it. The worst part is nobody in Texas will care and nobody in St. Louis will watch.

Who agrees?

With the National Championship over, it’s time to turn the attention towards another national title – the recruiting national title. We are only a mere three weeks away from February 1st – National Signing Day.

Several SEC schools are ranked very high overall by the different recruiting services. This is going to be a pressure-packed race to NSD.

Let’s have a look at each team and where they sit currently:

Alabama Crimson Tide: 26 commitments
Headliners: DB Landon Collins, WR/DB Eddie Williams and RB TJ Yeldon.
Rankings: 247Sports (1), Rivals (1), Scout (1) and ESPN (1)
Top Targets: WR Dorial Green-Beckham, QB Jameis Winston

Arkansas Razorbacks: 21 commitments
Headliners: WR Courtney Gardner, RB Jonathan Williams
Rankings: 247Sports (20), Rivals (28), Scout (16) and ESPN (NR in Top 25)
Top Targets: WR Dorial Green-Beckham

Auburn Tigers: 15 commitments
Headliners: QB Zeke Pike, RB Jovon Robinson, WR Ricardo Lewis
Rankings: 247Sports (15), Rivals (17), Scout (18) and ESPN (14)
Top Targets: DL Leonard Williams, WR Stefon Diggs

Florida Gators: 18 commitments
Headliners: DE Jonathan Bullard, OT DJ Humphries
Rankings: 247Sports (5), Rivals (3), Scout (5) and ESPN (4)
Top Targets: WR Stefon Diggs, WR Nelson Agholor

Georgia Bulldogs: 16 commitments
Headliners: DE Jordan Jenkins, RB Keith Marshall
Rankings: 247Sports (16), Rivals (19), Scout (21) and ESPN (7)
Top Targets: LB/WR Josh Harvey-Clemons, RB Mike Davis

Kentucky Wildcats: 23 commitments
Headliners: DT Thomas Chapman, QB Patrick Towles
Rankings: 247Sports (43), Rivals (NR in Top 50), Scout (34) and ESPN (NR Top 25)

LSU Tigers: 21 commitments
Headliners: QB Gunner Kiel, LB Torshiro Davis
Rankings: 247Sports (9), Rivals (5), Scout (6) and ESPN (11)
Top Targets: DB Ronald Darby, DB Landon Collins (Alabama commit)

Mississippi State Bulldogs: 25 commitments
Headliners: DT Quay Evans, DE Denico Autry
Rankings: 247Sports (25), Rivals (32), Scout (17) and ESPN (NR in Top 25)
Top Target: LB Beniquez Brown

Missouri Tigers: 17 commitments
Headliners: OL Evan Boehm, TE Sean Culkin
Rankings: 247Sports (34), Rivals (), Scout (31) and ESPN (NR in Top 25)
Top Target: WR Dorial Green-Beckham

Ole Miss Rebels: 15 commitments
Headliners: DE Channing Ward, DT Isaac Gross
Rankings: 247Sports (50), Rivals (36), Scout (55) and ESPN (NR in Top 25)
Top Targets: JUCO WR Cordarrelle Patterson

South Carolina Gamecocks: 23 commitments
Headliners: DB Jordan Diggs, WR Shaq Roland
Rankings: 247Sports (15), Rivals (14), Scout (11) and ESPN (15)
Top Target: RB Mike Davis

Tennessee Volunteers: 18 commitments
Headliners: WR Alton Howard, DT Danny O’Brien
Rankings: 247Sports (18), Rivals (21), Scout (26) and ESPN (16)
Top Targets: RB Mike Davis

Texas A&M Aggies: 25 commitments
Headliners: QB Matt Davis, RB Trey Williams
Rankings: 247Sports (10), Rivals (11), Scout (4) and ESPN (8)
Top Target: WR Thomas Johnson

Vanderbilt Commodores: 21 commitments
Headliners: RB Brian Kimbrow, DE Caleb Azubike
Rankings: 247Sports (41), Rivals (25), Scout (30) and ESPN (22)
Top Target: WR Andre McDonald

Williams was the top overall running back in the Houston area, and he has just blazing speed to go along with shifty moves. Williams was also named named the Rivals High offensive player of the year for the country.

Check him out taking a screen pass to the house that was unfortunately called back because of a penalty in yesterday’s Army All-American Game:

As the Aggies enter the SEC, they are getting a good running back with electric moves and speed in Trey Williams. I am really excited to watch this kid over the next three to four years at College Station. One thing to keep an eye on is his size and durability, and his role in new coach Kevin Sumlin’s spread offense.

As you know, Texas A&M recently hired Kevin Sumlin as their head coach, and he came from Houston.

We already know that the Aggies will be competing in the SEC West, and Sumlin doesn’t seem scared at all knowing the task ahead of them.

“I didn’t come here to do anything but win. I’ve never looked at who we played as being the issue, I’ve worried about our situation and it has been about us. Whether it’s Alabama or Alabama State, it really doesn’t matter. I worry more about Texas A&M and us getting better.

“They play great defense in the SEC,” Sumlin said. “We’re going to do what’s necessary to win. I think I’ve shown that in my track record as we evolved at Oklahoma. What we’ve done at Houston has been a little bit different due to personnel.”

Sumlin coached a pass-happy team, or at least he has for the past several years with Case Keenum at Houston. During that stretch, Sumlin was 35-17 at Houston.

The SEC is a whole different ball game coming from Conference USA with Houston. It will be interesting to see his style of play and how it fits in the SEC West next season with such dominant defenses.

14. Ole Miss
13. Kentucky
12. Mississippi State

Ole Miss has had a terrible year so far, losing all of their conference games and getting slaughtered at Vanderbilt…Kentucky has had an offensive nightmare this year in Lexington, and the Wildcats will be lucky to beat 1AA Jacksonville State this weekend…Mississippi State has had a very underwhelming year in Starkville, and the preseason noise was a lot of hype the Bulldogs could not back up.

11. Vanderbilt
10. Missouri
9. Tennessee

I like the direction of the Vanderbilt program right now, but they are not a contender in year one of James Franklin’s tenure. The Commodores are earning a little bit of respect, though…Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel and the Tiger fan base will not find it as easy to win the SEC as it has been in the Big 12. They will most notably notice it within the offensive and defensive lines, something SEC play dominates…Tennessee has had a disappointing season by far this year, and they have lost all three of their conference games heading into the meat of their schedule.

8. Florida
7. Auburn
6. Georgia

Florida has lost three in a row, and they could go on to lose four in the month of October if they cannot beat Georgia in a week and a half…Auburn has won some close games this year, and it hasn’t been pretty, either. But you cannot discount the fact the Tigers are 3-1 in the SEC…Georgia has won five in a row, and the Bulldogs look to be the possible favorite to win the East, even with the loss to South Carolina.

5. South Carolina
4. Texas A&M
3. Arkansas

South Carolina is the East favorite right now, record-wise. However, their road will now get much tougher without Marcus Lattimore at running back…Texas A&M is ready to be an SEC team. They have a solid defense and offense right now, and they could make some noise in the SEC if it were this season. However, there will be a learning curve, but I’m very interested in learning more about this storied program…Arkansas beat the Aggies head-to-head at Jerry World earlier this season by dominating the Aggies in the second half. There is no doubt the Razorbacks are the third best team in the SEC right now…and it isn’t close.

1b. LSU
1a. Alabama

You could either put Alabama or LSU as No. 1 or No. 2. One of these two teams will be playing for it all in New Orleans.

This is how I think the conference stacks up if Texas A&M and Missouri were a part of it right now.

Where do you think they would rank in the SEC?

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (September 25, 2011) – The Southeastern Conference Presidents and Chancellors, acting unanimously, announced today that Texas A&M University will join the Southeastern Conference effective July 1, 2012, with competition to begin in all sports for the 2012-13 academic year.

The addition of Texas A&M will increase the SEC membership to 13 institutions.  It is the first expansion for the SEC since September of 1991 when the University of South Carolina joined the league.  The University of Arkansas joined the SEC in August of 1991.  With the addition of Arkansas and South Carolina, the SEC was the first conference to split into divisions and add a conference championship game in 1992.

“The Southeastern Conference Presidents and Chancellors are pleased to welcome Texas A&M University to the SEC family,” said Dr. Bernie Machen, chair of the SEC Presidents and Chancellors and president of the University of Florida.  “The addition of Texas A&M University as the SEC’s 13th member gives our league a prestigious academic institution with a strong athletic tradition and a culture similar to our current institutions.”

“The Southeastern Conference provides Texas A&M the national visibility that our great university and our student-athletes deserve,” said Texas A&M University President R. Bowen Loftin.  “We are excited to begin competition in the nation’s premier athletic conference.  This is a 100-year decision that we have addressed carefully and methodically, and I believe the Southeastern Conference gives the Aggies the best situation of any conference in the country.”

Texas A&M , located in College Station, will also be the third institution in the Southeastern Conference to hold membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities, joining University of Florida and Vanderbilt University. Texas A&M has an enrollment of 50,000 students, ranking as the sixth-largest university in the country, with 360,000 former students worldwide.

Texas A&M also adds to the athletic excellence of the SEC. Last season, the Aggies won three NCAA  team titles (men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, women’s basketball) and finished eighth in the prestigious Learfield Sports Director’s Cup all-sport rankings.

“On behalf of our presidents, chancellors, athletics directors, students and fans, I welcome Texas A&M University to the SEC family,” said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.  “Texas A&M is a nationally-prominent institution on and off the field and a great fit for the SEC tradition of excellence—athletically, academically and culturally.”

The Aggies sponsor 20 varsity sports.  Men’s sports include baseball, basketball, football, golf, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field and cross country.  Women’s sports include basketball, equestrian, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field and cross country and volleyball.  Texas A&M participates in every sport sponsored by the SEC except gymnastics and the SEC sponsors every sport the Aggies participate in except equestrian.

Here are the most interesting games in week four:

1. No. 14 Arkansas vs. No. 3 Alabama

Arkansas brings its high-octane offense into Tuscaloosa to take on possibly the best defense in the country. Arkansas is having a very good year both on offense and defense, and they can absolutely score in a multitude of ways. Alabama, on the other hand, sticks to the conservative running game, and they play exceptionally good defense. This is no doubt the biggest game in the country in week four. Two top-20 teams going at it in an old-fashioned SEC football matchup.

2. No. 2 LSU vs. No. 16 West Virginia

The LSU Tigers are arguably the other best defense in the country (next to Alabama), and they will be heading into Morgantown for a really interesting matchup against WVU. WVU is averaging 42 points per game, but they certainly haven’t run into anything like they will run into against LSU. LSU is a mack truck on defense, and they will give WVU’s coach Dana Holgerson and quarterback Geno Smith a fresh taste of what SEC football is really like. I want to see a beat-down in Morgantown. This will be a great atmosphere, no doubt.

3. No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 8 Texas A&M

We might as well go ahead and include next year’s SEC member Texas A&M to this list as winning one for the good guys. This is a battle of two top-10 teams, and OSU is averaging over 52 points per game with wide receiver Justin Blackmon and quarterback Brandon Weeden. A&M is only allowing 10.5 points per game, and they will bring an SEC-caliber defense against the Cowboys.

4. No. 11 Florida State vs. No. 21 Clemson

FSU just lost to Oklahoma, and Clemson is coming off of a big win against SEC-foe Auburn. Clemson has offensive firepower, and FSU has a stout defense but could be without quarterback EJ Manuel. Clemson is always known for losing the big game, but they will certainly have a chance to prove themselves victorious in this one and earn a little more respect. Watch out for Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins because he is the best freshman in America.

5. No. 23 USC vs. Arizona State

This is the best Pac-12 matchup of the weekend, so I had better include it, right? Anytime I get a chance to see Baby Kiffin lose a football game, I’m all about it! Go Sun Devils.

Photo from @DerekAggie06

What do you think about the Aggies & this statement?

I hate to spend my entire column this week complaining. I don’t want to become the Andy Rooney of Saturday Down South. I’m usually not the type to gripe and moan about every little thing. Maybe it has something to do with the nasty cold I’ve come down with, or maybe I’m just becoming ornery in my old age, but either way, the last week of college football left me with more complaints than usual.

First, lets talk expansion. The SEC has apparently extended an invitation to Texas A&M to join the most powerful conference in the land. I’ll be honest, I do not know where things stand as of this moment. Last I heard, the litigious Baylor Bears were holding things up. However, I do know where I stand on the issue of expansion, and that is in direct opposition.

Here are my worries. Will the SEC play with 13 teams? Say the SEC goes to 16 teams, adding Texas A&M, Missouri, Clemson, and Wofford. With two, eight team divisions, an eight-game conference schedule would leave only one game against the other division. Of course, we could go to a nine game conference schedule, which would give you two games against the opposite division, but how would they do it?

Will there be an inter-division rivalry game that is played every year, like Auburn-Georgia or Alabama-Tennessee. If so, that leaves you with one rotating game, so teams in the west will only visit places like Gainesville and Knoxville every fourteen years (my math may be off there, but that sounds right). Or do you do away with the rivalry games and go with two rotating opponents, losing the Third Saturday in October and the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry?

Look, I know this is all about money, and adding teams outside of the southeast adds new television markets. But the only reason there is an 87,451-seat stadium just minutes from my house is because 87,450 people and me think $800 and up is a reasonable price to play to watch kids play football. If we were not buying tickets, many at the pricey scholarship level, there would be no college football. Yet, the powers that be seem to be making decisions based on no-affiliation Joe who is sitting in his house in east-Texas, flipping through his 301 channels. I guess they just assume they can do what they want, because we will always show up. They’re probably right.

The other thing that got me this week was pace of play. I was at the Auburn-Mississippi State game, and if my memory serves me correctly, the game lasted a little over seven hours. At one point it seemed that guy in the red hat, who is easily the most hated man in any stadium, was stepping on the field between every down.

I know many of you could not care less about soccer, but I’m growing to appreciate a clock that never stops. But even if we don’t go to futbol time, I’d love to see things in college run as efficiently as the NFL. Of course, the NCAA probably can’t charge as much per commercial as the NFL, so they run more commercials, and a three hour game becomes a four hour game, and even if it starts to push five they know we will always show up. Again, they’re probably right.

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Editor’s Note: Chad Gibbs is an author with two passions in life: God and SEC Football. His first book was a humorous look at his struggle to balance the two things. Check it out – God and Football: Faith and Fanaticism in the SEC. Read more from Chad on his blog at ChadGibbs.com

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Who else is against expansion? Do you have other Complaints?

“In the 78 year history of the SEC, the conference had accepted the membership applications of only two institutions—Arkansas and South Carolina. Texas A&M is now the third. We remain optimistic that Texas A&M will be a member of the SEC and have started to look at schedules for 2012-13 involving 13 teams.

“As I said over the past year or so, the SEC has had no particular interest in expansion. We were, and are, happy with 12 teams. If Texas A&M’s President, Dr. Bowen Loftin had not called me in late July, we had no plans to explore adding an institution.

“However, when President Loftin called we became interested. Texas A&M is an outstanding academic institution with an exceptional athletic program, passionate fans and wonderful traditions. While the SEC wasn’t thinking about expansion, it was impossible not to be interested in Texas A&M. As you can see from the unanimous vote of our twelve Presidents/Chancellors, we would very much like to have Texas A&M as a member of our conference.

“When Texas A&M joins our conference, we don’t have immediate plans for a 14th member. We aren’t thinking in terms of numbers. We think about the strength of the SEC and the attractiveness of Texas A&M as an institution.”

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What are your thoughts about playing with just 13 teams?