ESPN College Football

Chris Low discusses the new SEC-Big 12 bowl game.

Alabama is once again stepping up its nonconference game.

The Crimson Tide and West Virginia, now of the Big 12, will meet for the first time ever when the two open the 2014 season in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta, bowl officials announced Thursday.

“Alabama and West Virginia are consistently among the premier teams in the country and we’re thrilled to be able to host such a high-profile game with representatives from the SEC and the Big 12,” Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO Gary Stokan said in a statement Thursday. “This will be an epic blockbuster-type game the nation will anticipate for a long, long time and will continue our tradition of showcasing two top-ranked teams to open the season on Saturday night.”

Added Alabama coach Nick Saban: "The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an outstanding event and we look forward to opening the 2014 season in Atlanta. The exposure for our football players and our program is tremendous and it is a great experience for our fans. This will be the sixth time we have played a nonconference game at a neutral site, and the fourth time at Atlanta."

Tickets to the game will be evenly split between the two teams to a true neutral-site game. All tickets to the game will be sold through the university ticket offices.

Alabama is 10-8-1 all-time against teams from the Big 12. The most recent victory came in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game against Texas.

Cassidy Hubbarth and the college football bloggers bring you the best from the spring and what that means for the games in the fall.

Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne will announce his retirement Tuesday at a news conference in College Station, Texas, a source told The Associated Press.

Byrne, 66, was hired in December of 2002 and helped guide the Aggies to the SEC from the Big 12. Byrne's contract is up on Aug. 31, 2013, but Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin said last month that Byrne's future at the school would be discussed between the two of them.

For the most part, Aggies sports flourished while Byrne was the school's AD. During his tenure, Texas A&M sports won 17 national championships and 46 Big 12 championships.

However, Texas A&M's football program hasn't been as successful. It went 58-54, won just one bowl game and finished only one season ranked. Now, it's taking new coach Kevin Sumlin, who came from Houston, to the SEC.

The move to the SEC, effective July 1, brings what Byrne believed would be a much more stable situation for Texas A&M, but it didn't come without controversy. The move has put a once-great rivalry with Texas on hold for the foreseeable future and it appeared to set in motion all the recent expansion movement taking over college football.

There certainly were mixed feelings about Byrne's tenure at Texas A&M, but his departure right before the move to the SEC will no doubt put a lot of pressure on his successor and Loftin.

Check back to the blog later to read more about Byrne's departure and what's next for Texas A&M.

Cassidy Hubbarth and the college football bloggers go around the country to look at the challenges facing coaches heading into their second season.

Todd McShay examines three players who could be gems and looks ahead to top prospects for the 2013 NFL draft.

Ivan Maisel and Gene Wojciechowski debate whether the bowls or a playoff system is the way to go.

Cassidy Hubbarth and the college football bloggers go around the country to explain how a playoff system would help everyone.

The college football bloggers get you up to date with the biggest surprises so far in spring practice across the country.

ESPN writers and bloggers discuss keys for BCS title contenders in the BCS conferences.

ESPN writers and bloggers cover key BCS conference storylines during spring football.

Of the 10 schools that sent teams to a BCS bowl this year, only four of them — Alabama, Michigan, West Virginia and Wisconsin — have a team in the men’s NCAA tournament. That seems counter-intuitive, if not downright stunning. But here’s the stunning fact — four out of 10 is average for the BCS era.

In 14 seasons since the BCS began in 1998, 41.1 percent of the BCS bowl schools have sent teams into the March Madness bracket. Through 2005, when only eight teams went to BCS bowls, 39 percent of the teams made the NCAA basketball field. Adding a BCS bowl, which gave two more teams the chance to make both fields, helped only somewhat. Since 2006, the number ticked upward to 45 percent.

In the first year of the BCS, 1998, six of eight schools made the basketball field. That remains the high-water mark. In the two seasons 2002 and 2003 combined, only one school, Oklahoma in 2002, sent a basketball team to the NCAA tournament.

It may be as easy as blaming the SEC. In the last six years, when the SEC has put 12 teams in the BCS, only four (33 percent) of the schools also sent a team to the NCAA tournament. The Big Ten, on the other hand, has sent seven-of-12 (57.1 percent), including two this year and last. Of the six Big East schools that made the BCS, four (67 percent) also reached March Madness. The Big East takes its basketball seriously.

“What that tells me,” said Big East senior associate commissioner Nick Carparelli, who is the conference’s COO for football, “is the notion that you need to have a really strong football program for your other programs to be good is not necessarily true. Otherwise, those football programs would have programs in the top 68 basketball teams more often.”

It also says that all the money in the world won’t compensate for hiring the wrong coach. As more and more programs turn to the business world and the development (fund-raising) programs to find athletic directors, they turn away from former coaches and administrators who understand the duties and stresses of being a coach. That remains the most elusive and the most critical element of success in intercollegiate athletics.

The Big 12 reached buyout agreements with both Missouri and Texas A&M Tuesday, and both schools should be pretty happy with how things ended.

The two schools will be leaving the Big 12 for the SEC at a price of just $12.41 million each. While to you and me that sounds like a pretty hefty number, it isn't much when you consider how much both schools could have lost if not for some top notch legal work.

Both schools announced in the fall of 2011 that they would be leaving the Big 12 on July 1, 2012, but Big 12 bylaws state that schools that provide less than 12 months' notice of their eventual departure are subject to having 90 percent of their conference revenue retained.

The total was estimated to be nearly $30 million for each school, but as you can see, Missouri and Texas A&M won't even have to pay half of that.

The Big 12's new television contract with Fox Sports also begins on July 1, 2012, and Missouri agreed to waive all benefits from the new deal, but Texas A&M will receive a portion of the contracts' benefits.

Here's what Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton said:

"We are pleased to have these issues resolved and we wish the Big 12 and its continuing member institutions the best in the future."

And here's what Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin said:

"We appreciate the Big 12 working with us on a quick and amicable settlement.

"On behalf of Texas A&M University and Aggies worldwide, I would like to thank the Big 12 and its member institutions for the many memories over the past 16 years. We value our ongoing academic and athletic relationships with Big 12 members, and it is our hope to continue many of our longstanding athletic rivalries in the future."

Plus, you get to leave for so cheap, so that's nice!

It sounds like these two universities came out of this whole thing well. They both get to join a conference they're more comfortable with and they didn't have to reach too deep into their institutional pockets to do it.

These two schools should be all smiles, but should the Big 12 happy with the outcome? I mean, schools are supposed to give at least two years' notice and the price tag for leaving within 12 months was much higher than both schools had to shell out.

Well, ESPN Big 12 blogger David Ubben thinks the Big 12 bylaws need an upgrade after what has transpired and I tend to agree, but you can't fault Missouri and Texas A&M for trying to find a better deal for themselves and actually having it work out.

It's Moving Day No. 2 on the blog network today, and the Aggies are following Missouri out the door into the SEC blog. We introduced the Aggies to the SEC earlier, but now it's time to debate.

The Aggies' move to the SEC was more about having the program grow in new soil, whereas Missouri's move was more about conference stability.

Will the Aggies thrive? SEC blogger Chris Low and Big 12 blogger David Ubben go head-to-head to find out.

Chris Low: OK, David, let's not tiptoe around. The SEC is a big-boy conference with big-boy stakes. I know everything is supposedly bigger in Texas, but do the Aggies really know what they're getting themselves into? For one, they tend to play all four quarters in the SEC. Judging by what I saw from the Aggies last season, somebody might want to remind them that there is a second half. Come to think of it, that's not very hospitable of me. I take that back. But, honestly, how do you think the Aggies will handle the grind of this league?

David Ubben: Now, now, Chris, that's not very nice. The Aggies are ...

As one final tribute to Texas A&M, I elected to forfeit the second half of that sentence.

In the early running, Texas A&M will have a lot of issues. Losing the volume and quality of talent it did in 2011 will hurt, especially on offense, as the program moves into a league -- and, particularly, a division -- known for defense. Ryan Tannehill wasn't great last year, but his experience helped, and Jeff Fuller and Cyrus Gray are a pair of NFL players who don't roll around every year.

I like the talent on campus at A&M a lot, though. They're just going to be young for now. With what they have now, they'll get better and better, as long as Kevin Sumlin does well. Based on what we've seen from his career, I think he will.

Beyond these first three to four years, how well they progress will depend on recruiting. The Aggies think the SEC will be a big draw for Texas recruits who want to play in the best conference in college football. Being able to offer that could help them surpass Texas on the recruiting trail and on the field.

Are you buying that? I lean strongly toward no, but I could see it happening. What do you think? Is playing in the SEC going to be a draw for Texas kids? Why or why not?

CL: I absolutely think the SEC will be a draw for some Texas recruits who see it as a chance to stay in the state, still play their college football and be able to do it against SEC competition. That's a pretty sweet proposition: Stay close to home in the football-crazed state of Texas and compete in the football-crazed SEC, which has a standing order with the sculptor who designs that crystal trophy every year for the BCS national champion.

There's also another side to this story. The boys in the SEC think their chances of going deep into the heart of Texas and landing elite prospects are better than ever with Texas A&M joining the league. Rival coaches can tell mamas and daddies (that's the way the Bear used to say it) that they'll be able to keep up with their sons just as they were in the Big 12 with the Aggies now part of the SEC family, although the recruiting atmosphere in this league isn't very family-oriented. Just ask Urban Meyer. He got so tired of the recruiting shenanigans in the SEC that he's now pulling his own in the Big Ten, according to some of his new brethren there.

That leads me to my next question: Has anybody informed the Aggies that the rules are a little different in the SEC? Unlike the Big 12, it's not the first team to 40 points that wins.

DU: For the record, the league changed those rules for Baylor-Washington in the Alamo Bowl. First to 60 points wins now, but that's irrelevant news for the Aggies.

A&M's front seven has been really good these past two years, but this season, it was the secondary that let the team down. The Aggies led the nation with 51 sacks, but the team wasn't happy that it took a lot of risky blitzes to get those sacks. The defensive line wasn't the unit applying the pressure most often -- it was linebackers and defensive backs. That meant a lot of big plays in the passing game; the Aggies ranked 109th nationally in pass defense, giving up more than 275 yards a game. Now, they won't see the same caliber of quarterbacks in the SEC, but we will see if the front seven can handle the power of teams in the SEC West, which, to their credit, do have a handful of quarterbacks with a lot of potential. Tyler Wilson's great now. AJ McCarron and Kiehl Frazier could be elite soon.

We'll see what new defensive coordinator Mark Snyder can fix.

On the flip side of the recruiting debate, how much do you think SEC teams will try and slide into Texas? Could we see some collateral damage in the Big 12? Will the SEC someday take over the world? I heard Nicolas Sarkozy already has a special security detail in place in case Mike Slive comes after him.

CL: I'm not sure about taking over the world. It's just college football that the SEC someday would like to own. Some might suggest it already does.

Arkansas and LSU probably will be helped the most in terms of going into Texas and getting players. Other schools in the SEC might be more apt to target players in the state of Texas and make a push for those select players, but I don't think you're going to suddenly see a mass of teams in the SEC setting up camp in Texas on the recruiting trail. There's no need to when you look at how bountiful the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina are in most years.

You mention some of the quarterbacks in the Western Division. It's fair to say that this wasn't a quarterback's league this season, and I also realize that the Big 12 has produced some quarterbacks over the last few years who've put up Xbox-type numbers.

But my question for you: Is Texas A&M capable of playing the kind of defense it takes to win big in the SEC?

DU: I think so, eventually. The Aggies know they have to, which is huge. They've seen how teams succeed in the SEC, and it's with defense.

If you invest in something, especially with the resources A&M has, good things will happen. Don't forget, the Aggies' defense was really, really good last year. The athletes are there. For A&M, it's about putting it together.

CL: With all due respect, "really, really good" on defense in the Big 12 is entirely different than being "really, really good" in the SEC on defense. The more I watch this conference, the more it's ingrained in me that you're never going to win at a high level unless you can run the ball, stop the run and consistently win the turnover battle. Everything else is window dressing. I understand that's not exactly rocket science, but being able to run the ball creates a mindset that positively impacts your entire team. The same goes for playing good run defense.

So if I were offering any advice to the Aggies as they make the big jump, it would be to fortify their offensive backfield and recruit like crazy in the offensive and defensive lines. There's no such thing as too much depth in the SEC.

Having a little Texas flavor in the SEC is exciting. I know you're on record as saying the Aggies might struggle next season. But over time, I think they have what it takes to be an upper-echelon team in the SEC. Of course, that's the beauty of the SEC. So does everybody else in the league.

DU: Oh, there's no respect due when we're talking Big 12 defenses. The best in the SEC are on another stratosphere from the best in the Big 12.

Your game plan sounds like what I'd recommend, but it's easier said than done. Like Mizzou, A&M will have to start mining some of those junior colleges down South like the rest of the SEC West.

Generally, I'd agree with you on A&M's long-term prospects. The Aggies will win less than they did in the Big 12 ... which is to say not much. But they could put it together and have a huge year every now and then. I don't see them surpassing Texas as a program, but they're on their own now.

For some Aggies, that's enough. Next year, the Aggies will struggle, but watching them grow and try to build a new program will be fascinating.

We introduced Mizzou to the SEC earlier Tuesday, but now it's time to get dirty.

Big 12 blogger David Ubben and Edward Aschoff debate: What awaits Missouri in the SEC?

The decline of one of college football's rising programs? Or new heights in a foreign conference that's college football's toughest?

Let's hash this out.

Edward Aschoff: So, with the Tigers joining the SEC, some are wondering if they will make more of an impact in basketball than football. After all, the Big 12 hasn't exactly had its way with the SEC lately in football. But Mizzou does bring back a slew of talent on both sides of the ball and could compete in the SEC East in its first season. David, why should we believe that Missouri will be anything more than just a one-hit wonder?

David Ubben: Gary Pinkel. You'll hear this stat parroted often, but the Tigers are one of just a handful -- six, I believe -- teams in college football to win at least eight games in six consecutive seasons. TCU and Boise State have done it, too, but doing so outside of a power conference is nowhere near as impressive.

The Tigers haven't necessarily won big. The program is still seeking its first BCS bowl appearance but they've won consistently on the back of solid recruiting and even better development. Even in the program's glory years under Dan Devine in the 1960s, it never saw this kind of consistent success.

Players know what is expected of them under Pinkel. He wants to retire at Missouri, a point he has reiterated several times. The fans love him after this six-season stretch that followed some rough years early on, and they would love to have him there as long as he wants. He has got the program rolling, and deep enough that a nightmare year of 4-5 wins just isn't going to happen.

Of course, he's done much of this on the back of Texas recruits, a luxury afforded many of the teams in the former Big 12 North after the Southwest Conference merged with the Big 8 Conference.

We've already seen them shift some recruiting focus into your neck of the woods, Florida and Atlanta. What does this program have to do to make some recruiting inroads there and continue this success?

EA: Well, getting into the Florida and Atlanta areas is a good start, but Missouri can't forget about the entire Southeast. There are some other states that can be Missouri's friends as well. One thing going for Missouri is that St. Louis and Kansas City are pretty close. Both are about two hours away from Columbia and kids just love the those big cities! But the bright lights and the big malls can only take Missouri so far. Missouri has to prove that it can really compete on the SEC's level for an entire season and beyond. Winning just comes naturally in this conference, so Missouri will have to prove that it can keep up for years to come. One thing that will really get the athletes' attentions in the Southeast will be starting things off on the right foot. Playing in the SEC East and returning a good amount of starters should help with that. But make no mistake about it, there will be tons of negative recruiting thrown Missouri's way because of its Big 12 past and the fact that those starters will soon be gone after their SEC introduction.

Missouri's coaches are going to have to get very aggressive when it comes to recruiting over here. It's a rough game in the South. There are no unwritten rules about being respectful of committed prospects. SEC coaches play for keeps down here.

Also, Missouri's coaches are going to have to compete with the distance factor. Columbia is almost 700 miles away. There certainly are players who travel away from the Deep South, but most of them stay home. Can Missouri build enough of that family atmosphere to get these players to venture over to its neck of the woods?

We've hit on Missouri's returners, but in order to win in the SEC you have to play well up front. Everyone says this a line-of-scrimmage league and from what I've read it sounds like Missouri's defensive line could have/should have played better in 2011. How do the Tigers make sure they're strong and tough enough up front to compete in this league?

DU: Good points on Mizzou's recruiting trying to spread its wings. The problem? They'll try to maintain those ties in Texas and it'll have to make sure they don't get spread too thin.

These are all issues Mizzou's coaching staff will have to figure out. I'm glad I don't have to.

You're right about the defensive line. It was good in 2011, but not as good as people thought. It'll have to be better. Landing a couple of those big defensive tackles down south would serve the Tigers well. For now, they've got great size coming back in a St. Louis kid, Sheldon Richardson. He's a 6-foot-4, 290-pounder with great athleticism who went to junior college before coming back to Mizzou. USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin almost got his hands on him out, but the Tigers have him and need him to have a huge season as a senior in Year 1 in the SEC.

The defensive line lost three starters, but they were deep in 2011 and have good pieces to fill the losses of Terrell Resonno and Dominique Hamilton at tackle and Jacquies Smith at defensive end. The time is now for promising ends Michael Sam and Kony Ealy.

Richardson's the biggest piece, at tackle. Brad Madison was a Big 12 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year candidate at defensive end, but had a disappointing season after playing through a shoulder injury that really limited his effectiveness and flexibility on the line. He'll be hungry as a senior in 2012. Memo to SEC offensive lines: Look out for the spin move.

Players like Richardson come down to recruiting, though. The kinds of players Mizzou needs on the defensive lines are much more plentiful in their new recruiting soil. Getting their feet on the ground in junior colleges will be huge.

What about the offense, though? You've seen these SEC defenses up close all season. I'd argue that outside of Alabama, LSU and Georgia, the SEC's defenses were way overrated based on reputation this season.

Will the Tigers' spread offense work in the SEC East? What, if anything, has to change?

EA: Well, you certainly won't make friends down here with that sort of talk. South Carolina fans will surely let you know just how they feel about being left out of the defensive discussion. After all, South Carolina ranked third nationally in total defense and the SEC had six defenses ranked in the top 25, including five in the top eight. But I digress. We've seen the spread work before in the SEC. Florida's 2007 and 2008 offenses were two of the best in the country. The 2009 team put up a good bit of yards too. We've seen elements of the spread in other offenses as well around the SEC, and Arkansas does a great job of spreading defenders out with its passing game. Mississippi State also utilized a pretty successful spread offense in 2010.

In order for it to work, the offensive line has to be beefy and athletic. I know, it's an interesting concept, but you won't survive in this league without some real athletes up front. You've said in the past that Missouri's offensive line was a better than average, well that won't cut it in this league.

You also need some elite speed at the wide receiver position and a sound running game. Getting Dorial Green-Beckham out there could be a major get for this offense because of his size and speed. As for running, mobile running backs and commanding the read option are key. Missouri will have to find ways to combat the tremendous speed off the edge from SEC pass rushers every week. That's James Franklin's running ability comes in. Working the option is huge in the spread.

Well, let's wrap this thing up. I think Missouri will be fun to watch next season, but I'm not sure how well the Tigers will do afterward. You've been around Missouri a lot longer, where do you see Missouri stacking up in the next few years in the SEC?

DU: Good point on those SEC defenses being awesome. I know guys such as Morgan Newton, Justin Worley and Clint Moseley give defensive coordinators nightmares. Somebody get the Gamecocks a medal for not letting Arkansas score 50 and getting lucky enough to dodge LSU and Alabama on the schedule.

But I'm getting off target here, much like SEC quarterbacks' passes.

As for the Tigers, it's going to be tough when the current players begin to leave. I don't think they'll have as much success recruiting in Texas, but I've got no idea if they'll be able to get a foothold near the SEC East and, like you said, convince some of these kids to come to Missouri.

Neither outcome would surprise me, but I think as the transition happens and the current talent begins to drain out of the program, the Tigers will hit some lean years. Whether they bounce back depends on what everything in college football depends on: recruiting.

Can Mizzou do it? Only time will tell.