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When SEC newcomers Texas A&M and Mizzou joined college football’s mega-league in 2012, the Aggies and Tigers did so with reservations geographically, unsure of the fit with 12 other programs based in the South.
It made sense financially for commissioner Mike Slive and SEC who were attempting to widen their footprint to compete against other Power 5 conferences who had just added teams of their own thanks to realignment, notably Nebraska for the Big Ten and Colorado for the Pac-12.
Three years after the move, the SEC’s never been stronger and much of that has to do with the impact Texas A&M and Mizzou have made.
Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel took the college football world by storm as a redshirt freshman in 2012, winning the Heisman Trophy in historic fashion with the national spotlight centered on the SEC ($$$). The Tigers, meanwhile, have won consecutive Eastern Division championships and had many players drafted into the NFL, a testament to Gary Pinkel and his ability to develop players in their SEC infancy.
Last month, Texas A&M and Mizzou were able to share in the league’s record-breaking revenue total for the 2014-15 fiscal year, receiving $31.07 million each due in large part to the SEC’s new television network and increased revenue from the College Football Playoff during bowl season.
According to Fox Sports’ Stewart Mandel who on Thursday dived deep into the effects of the massive realignment in college football, 43 FBS schools — nearly 34 percent of the current membership — compete in a different conference than they did five years ago.
Here’s what Mandel had to say about the Aggies and Tigers within his column on realignment’s biggest winners and losers:
4) Texas A&M and Missouri. Neither seemed like natural fits upon joining the SEC, but fans of the existing teams embraced them. For A&M, a perfect storm in 2012 of Kevin Sumlin’s arrival, Johnny Manziel’s ascendance and beating Alabama greatly emboldened the Aggies’ fan base. The school approved an expansive renovation of Kyle Field the next year. And while Mizzou won two Big 12 division titles under Gary Pinkel, its consecutive SEC East crowns garnered newfound respect nationally.
