1st Year Evaluation of Texas A&M in the SEC: Not Going Away, Not Going Too Far

After Texas A&M's first calendar year in the SEC, I can honestly say as a whole, I am happy to have them. The Southeastern Conference is the Gold Standard in college athletics, however, most of the schools in the conference reside in very small market regions. To maintain our standard of excellence, it was needed to bring in a more expansive footprint to the conference--and the eyes in Texas just don't get any bigger.

The way Texas A&M performed last year in football, bringing in a Heisman winner, notching a signature win against the gold-standard of football programs in the conference, and beating the ever living trash out of Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, can not be understated in importance.

The fact that the SEC plays in Texas year round, from the Cowboy Classic, to College Station, to the Cotton Bowl, will only deepen the talent pool in the conference, and get the impressionable minds of the athletes in the state of Texas to consider playing in the conference.

However, the move did come with baggage--albeit, it isn't terrible.

First, as I'm sure all of you are painfully aware of, Texas A&M is not the flagship school in the state, and therefore, has a massive little brother syndrome. While that isn't necessarily a bad thing (See Mississippi State's 'Our State' campaign, or any Auburn theme of the day), the "big brother" of which they seek to overcome, is an afterthought to the rest of us.

Regardless, Texas A&M is a fine school, with a good fanbase, and has many SEC ties--some near and dear to this poster's heart in Bear Bryant and Gene Stallings.

To assume Texas A&M, in regards to their football program, is going to compete like they did last year is a preconceived notion that no one should fall under the spell of.

First off, despite their success, the team finish THIRD in their division, all while fielding their most talented team in decades, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

They will not be a surprise to anyone come September, and I don't think the mind of their franchise (Manziel) is where he needs to be. If you think these off-season distractions aren't a problem, you are sorely mistaken. As I've mentioned before, Alabama's most talented team on Offense & Defense during the Saban era Lost THREE GAMES in 2010.

The Aggies are currently setup to be anywhere as good as a national champion, and as bad as Mississippi State.

For those that clamor the Aggies will "Recruit just as good as Texas now that we're in the SEC!", you are probably right.

However, if you look at Auburn and Texas from 2010-2012, they were extraordinarily high in recruiting, and extraordinarily pathetic on the field.

A lot of that has to do with coaching. I think Sumlin is a great coach. But how long will he stay? I absolutely hate coach movement speculation (Thanks to the Barners during Saban's first 3 years), but only time will tell if Texas A&M is his destination job, or the final step to the NFL.

Overall, I think the hot-start A&M brought to the table did wonders for the conference, and probably more for the member schools than any other team outside of the national champions.

However, there will be a few things to watch in these next two oh-so-important years. Will the Aggies replace Joeckel and the rest of the line? Will Manziel find a new Swope? Can the team handle expectations and win when they aren't a surprise? I promise it isn't that easy.

My prediction, for what it's worth, Texas A&M will become the new Arkansas, Petrino era, of the SEC. They will always be a big-game opponent; they will always be in the mix; however, I don't think, especially with a school like Texas and other "Big Name" SEC schools now coming into the state, they will draw the abundance of elite talent necessary to become an annual national championship contender.

Am I saying they won't be able to do it? Absolutely not. Unlike the aforementioned Arkansas, A&M has a much bigger following, and natural recruiting draw. Heck, if Auburn can win a national championship, the Aggies sure can.

I hope you (Aggies) read this with an objective eye. I'm happy to have you, and thank you for being the school that put this conference over the top in our goal to get the SEC network.