Dr. Bernie Machen, President of the University of Florida, today released a statement on behalf of the leaders and Presidents of each of the SEC's 12 other schools to officially welcome Texas A&M into the fold as the 13th member of the SEC. The Southeastern Conference now officially has a reach into the great recruiting base of Texas that should bode well for its other members in both basketball and especially football. And what was formerly the home of the Big 12 will now find itself swayed by the great competition and presence of the SEC.
Machen officially expressed today, "Southeastern Conference Presidents and Chancellors are pleased to welcome Texas A&M University to the SEC family." It's a sentiment that rubs many involved with the Big 12 the wrong wya, but it's clear that times are changing in college athletics and that tradition is going by the wayside.
A&M will only become the latest of several dominoes that could continue to fall, especially in the Big 12 unless the conference gets itself in order quickly. Missouri could in fact be next off of the board.