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It didn't take long for A&M to prove it belongs in SEC
Published: 1/3/2013 11:09 AM
Last Modified: 1/3/2013 11:09 AM

The perception was Texas A&M would struggle in the Southeastern Conference.

The reality is the Aggies were ready for the jump from the Big 12 to the SEC.

"The amazing stat is that I talk all the time about perception versus reality," said Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin. "There is a lot of criticism about our place and some of it is true and some of it is not."

Whatever the motivation for the move to the SEC, and different folks will tell you different things, it has been a positive for the Aggies.

Texas A&M got far more attention and credit for its offense in the SEC, a league without much offense, than it would have in the Big 12, a league loaded with great offenses and quarterbacks.

Johnny Manziel was pushed to the front of the Heisman race by a big game against Alabama, a school with a huge defensive reputation.

And, Texas A&M’s move has come with record attendance and new-found recruiting success. Right now, just more than a month before signing day, the Aggies have the highest ranked recruiting class in Texas and in the Southwest.

The move to the SEC, and the success of the Aggies, are having a huge impact on recruiting.

Texas A&M has gone from middle-of-the-pack Big 12 football team to SEC contender. That has shocked a few folks around the nation.

"I don’t think it opened anyone’s eyes on the competitive level in comparison of the Big 12 and SEC," said OU receiver Kenny Stills. "People of the SEC sometimes have a belief only in the teams they have.

"I don’t know how openly they welcomed Texas A&M and Missouri but those two teams are proving the point regardless of what people think."

OU coach Bob Stoops seems to take all of the conference realignment issues in stride.

Whether Texas A&M is in the Big 12 or SEC doesn’t seem to matter.

"It is sad to see anyone leave," said Stoops. "However, we are all businessmen, we are all big boys. We are doing fine, too.

"If that is what needs to happen that is what needs to happen. I say it a lot. Very few things in this world stay the same forever. You just have to keep evolving with it."

Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mark Snyder said the transition to the SEC has proved the difference to the Aggies.

"It’s real," said Snyder. "The size and speed is amazing on the field. It is played at a different speed, especially on defense.

"When I have a chance to watch our offense go against some of those defenses, there are some big cats that can run, defensive backs that are long, linebackers that are big. It is real, especially the top half of the SEC."



Reader Comments 2 Total
FYI (last month)
"Texas A&M has gone from middle-of-the-pack Big 12 football team to SEC contender."

Bears repeating.
                    
mikaeleschenski (last month)
"Texas A&M has gone from middle of the pack Big 12 football team to SEC contender" There it has been repeated
2 comments displayed


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Klein's Korner

Tulsa World senior sports columnist John Klein is in his fourth decade of covering sports. He started his newspaper career at The Daily Ardmoreite in 1977 and moved to the Tulsa World in 1978. He served 10 years as sports editor for the Tulsa World before being named to his current position in 2005. He also spent five years as the Southwest Conference beat writer for the Houston Post. He has won many writing awards and is a former Oklahoma Sports Writer of the Year.

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