Texas A&M to Big Ten expansion gains momentum as CFB insider predicts major conference realignment move amid ACC collapse
Conference realignment continues to be on the rise in the last few seasons and one of the potential moves being rumored is Texas A&M to the Big Ten. There are reasons why this could be something more than just speculation, as the Big Ten expansion continues to be discussed as an option.
In an older post from January, college football insider Greg Swaim discussed the potential of Texas A&M to the Big Ten as something that is potentially in the works.
The Texas A&M Aggies are currently part of the SEC and there could be some conference realignment that happens to get them to the Big Ten. Let's take a look at some of the reasons why moving Texas A&M to the Big Ten makes sense.
Why does Texas A&M going to the Big Ten make sense?
The Texas A&M Aggies are not a school that has been with the SEC for very long, as they officially joined along with the Missouri Tigers ahead of the 2012 college football season. One of the reasons the Southeastern Conference wanted to add the Texas A&M Aggies to the league was to get a footprint in the state of Texas, one of the hotbeds for collegiate recruiting.
Fast forward to the present day and the Texas Longhorns are officially members of the conference, so the need for Texas A&M to be part of the SEC is no longer there. That is where the Big Ten conversation begins.
The Texas A&M Aggies have been a dominant program in multiple sports and are not going to take a haircut to switch conferences. There are only two conferences that make sense for them to join if they were to leave the SEC: the Big 12 and the Big Ten.
The Big Ten has more respect since it is regarded as the second-largest conference in collegiate athletics, after the SEC. The SEC provides an average of $51.3 million per school each year, although the Big Ten generated more revenue in the fiscal year 2022, distributing around $58.8 million to each school.
This makes sense, given that the Big Ten wants to establish a footprint in Texas. While it is not going to happen imminently, do not be surprised to see Texas A&M in the Big Ten become more than just a rumor.