A couple weeks ago, after Texas A&M finally got a look at the contract for that pesky Longhorn Network, they decided to move to the SEC.
Oh, they didn't decide officially. There were meetings to set up, polls to be taken, steps to be...stepped. Things like officially telling the Big 12 that they are withdrawing, which is exactly what happened on Monday (according to sources).
This is why the SEC met a while back on a Sunday, only to say things would be staying put. They hadn't gotten official word that A&M was on the market yet. Expect those negotiations to proceed rapidly now, too.
SB Nation's Aggie site, I Am The 12th Man, thinks the move to the SEC could prove pretty lucrative for Texas A&M. That's certainly true, for many of the reasons referred to in that article. The money is the thing that's driven this whole process to begin with. A&M wasn't getting enough of it. Well, they were...they just weren't getting as much as Texas was getting and not sharing. So, they left for a more equitable split in the SEC.
The next step in this process is A&M officially officially leaving the Big 12 before the SEC holds meetings to extend membership to the Aggies. I'm sure that will take a while, as the SEC looks for another school to fill that spot in the East. So, expect about 20 more posts before this is all said and done...