ESPN College Football

The days of the Rose Bowl being the bowl of bowls could soon be coming to an end now that the SEC and the Big 12 have agreed on a five-year bowl partnership.

The new deal, announced Friday, will have the champions of the Big 12 and SEC meet in a New Year's Day bowl game annually beginning with the 2014 season. So while it won’t have the tradition of the Rose Bowl, it’ll have the viewers and it’ll have the popularity.

We’re seeing more and more how power is truly the most important component in college football, and this is a great example. Soon, we’ll have the two best BCS conferences going at it in their own special bowl competing with the beloved Rose Bowl.

We’re joined on the SEC blog by Big 12 blogger David Ubben to get his thoughts on what this means for the Big 12. We’re gentlemen down here in SEC country, so we’ll let him go first:

David Ubben: Rose Bowl, we love you. Not as much as Jim Delany does, but I'm not sure anyone can stake that claim. Anyway, it's time to face an unfortunate truth: You've been one-upped. The unnamed, unplaced bowl partnership between the Big 12 and SEC won't have the same level of tradition, but it will feature better teams. That's a powerful draw.
The BCS has played 14 national title games since its birth. The Big 12 or SEC have participated in 12 of them. Teams from the league have met in the game twice.

Now, they'll have another big stage to showcase their top teams. If a Big 12 or SEC champion is in the four-team playoff that will likely begin in the 2014 season, the next-best team will fill their place in the annual game. Deciding who plays in that game is up to each conference. The nation's two best conferences will get a much-needed opportunity to face one another on the field and test the hotly debated offense vs. defense theories on the field annually. The nation's college football fans were robbed of that when Oklahoma State was squeezed out of the national title game for SEC West second-place finisher Alabama. This year, the SEC and Big 12 only play once, when eight-win Texas travels to face two-win Ole Miss in September. Not exactly must-see TV.

This will be.

It assures the Big 12 a place at the adults' table of college football, further extending the distance between college football's top four leagues -- the SEC, Big 12, Pac-12 and Big Ten, in that order -- and the ACC and Big East. The ACC and Big East have the Orange Bowl, but any game like the SEC and Big 12 put together will pale in comparison when it comes to TV ratings and more importantly, TV money.

Only a few months ago, the Big 12 had eight teams, with half the league considering a move to the Pac-12 and the conference on life support. Things are looking very different now. It's about to sign a giant television deal, likely extending the grant of rights into the next decade and assuring stability at least through then, and probably beyond.

Tired of getting stuck playing Boise State and UConn in everything to lose, nothing to gain BCS bowl matchups? Seven-time Big 12 champion Oklahoma won't have to worry about that anymore, and even if the Sooners are in the forthcoming national championship playoff, the next-best Big 12 team will have a quality opponent to prove itself against.

Another plus for the Big 12? The Cotton Bowl's odds of getting into the BCS as it stood were minimal. Now? It's still in flux, but does anyone want to bet against Jerry Jones and his wallet to get this game in his Dallas palace at some point? That's a big game in the Big 12 footprint, something that's never happened on the BCS bowl stage.

How will this affect Florida State, too? News has surely reached Tallahassee by now, and the Florida State spear-toting brass have to be wondering how much this factors into their wandering eye toward the Big 12. Is the ACC the place to be?

We'll find out soon, but on Jan. 1, 2015, there will be only one place to be.

This game.

Edward Aschoff: I couldn’t agree more with pretty much everything you said. There’s no question that both of these leagues have dominated the BCS since its first year in 1998. The conferences have been left out of the national championship just twice in the last 14 years and the SEC has participated in -- and won -- eight. The Big 12 has won two of its seven appearances.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive has just about everything he wants in his conference, but he hasn’t had the Rose Bowl. Sure, all those national championship trophies are nice, but an annual game like the Rose Bowl commands respect. The game that the Big Ten and Pac-12 covet so much, and is watched by millions annually, will now get a major run for its money. While they’ll be played in different time slots, there’s no question that this will turn into the ultimate popularity contest. If you could sense that Big Ten-SEC tension before, just wait. Now, the SEC will be looking down on the Big Ten and picking at the game it holds so dear. Don’t think that didn’t cross the commissioner’s mind when he was thinking about this deal.

The SEC has truly been front and center in the college football world for the past six years with its 6-0 record in BCS championships, and now it will pursue a game it thinks can have the gusto of the Rose. This is a great opportunity for the SEC to build another fine tradition for the country’s top college football conference. And fans/the media want to see more of these matchups. For the most part, we're all deprived of them during the regular season, so here's a chance for us to win something as well. These two conferences need to play more. The best should always play the best, and as David said, we can finally settle the whole offense-defense debate.

This also means that more SEC teams have the chance to play in a primetime, marquee matchup in January. If this had been in place last season, Arkansas, which certainly had a BCS-caliber team, would have played in a BCS-like bowl, since Alabama and LSU met in the title game. The Cotton Bowl got the matchup this game would have received, but it would have been on a much grander scale and much more attention would have been paid to it. Oh, and much more money would have come out of it.

It would likely help the SEC this year too, as there could be as many as five teams jockeying for BCS position. Imagine if the four-team playoff took place this season? You might have two more SEC teams fighting for a chance at a national championship, meaning this game would give No. 3 a chance strut its stuff in front of its own grand audience.

There’s no question that with a four-team playoff, the SEC will have more opportunities to put teams in the national championship, continuing its dominance. Now, Slive has helped to ensure that a high-caliber team left out of the championship hunt will still play in a game that will command the type of attention that comes with a BCS bowl.

The SEC and Big 12 champs will meet in a New Year's Day bowl game annually beginning with the 2014 season, the conferences announced Friday.

The five-year agreement will pit champions of each conference against each other "unless one or both are selected to play in the new four-team model to determine the national championship," according to a statement from both conferences.

If that were to happen, another team from the conference(s) would be selected, ensuring that the game takes place every year.

“A new January bowl tradition is born,” SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said in the release. “This new game will provide a great matchup between the two most successful conferences in the BCS era and will complement the exciting postseason atmosphere created by the new four-team model. Most importantly, it will provide our student-athletes, coaches and fans with an outstanding bowl experience.”

Added acting Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas: “Our goal is to provide the fans across the country with a New Year’s Day prime-time tradition. This is a landmark agreement between two of the most successful football conferences during the BCS era to stage a postseason event. The creation of this game featuring the champions of the Big 12 and SEC will have tremendous resonance in college football.”

We'll have more on the partnership, as we'll get thoughts from Big 12 blogger David Ubben on how this affects the Big 12.

Academic change is coming to college sports. And if you ask me, it's the good kind of change.

Starting in 2016, the toughest initial-eligibility requirements ever for student-athletes will be hitting a college campus near you, ESPN's Mitch Sherman writes. Under the 2016 mandate, incoming freshmen will have to graduate from high school with 16 core classes passed, 10 of which must be completed by the start of their senior year. They must pass those core classes within four years and their minimum GPA must by 2.3.

The current mandate requires incoming freshmen to pass the 16 core classes, but 10 don't have to be completed before their senior year and the 16 don't have to be finished within four years. The minimum GPA is also 2.0 matched with an ACT or SAT score on a sliding scale.

A survey conducted by the NCAA indicated that approximately 40 percent of all freshmen football players that enrolled at Division I schools last fall would have failed to meet the 2016 requirements. Under the new rule, that 40 percent would receive an academic redshirt, which means those players would still receive their scholarships and could practice with their teams, but they wouldn't be able to play in games during the season.

Academic redshirt players wouldn't lose a year of eligibility.

Some might think that this new rule could be asking too much from high schools and it could put a limit on recruiting for college coaches, but that's just silly. This rule is being put in place to make sure that student-athletes are better prepared academically for college. Asking kids to hit the books harder and study a little longer is far from a crime and chances are the higher standards will encourage schools to take the academic side of high school sports life more seriously.

This isn't the first time we've heard of upping the academic requirements for incoming student-athletes. At last summer's SEC media days, SEC commissioner Mike Slive discussed increasing the GPA requirements for incoming freshmen from 2.0 to 2.5 in 16 core classes and the restoration of partial qualifiers. Like the new mandate, athletes who meet the old criteria but fall short of the new standards would keep their scholarships and practice, but couldn't play during their first year. Partial qualifiers lose a year of eligibility.

Would this require students and schools to work harder? Absolutely. Is it worth it? Absolutely, because it really isn't too much to ask of anyone involved. It's merely helping the educational process.

There are too many instances of players arriving on campus unprepared for the academic side of college athletics. Although football might be the first reason someone is at a university, we often forget that these individuals are students first, even though that part of "student-athlete" gets lost more and more these days.

This obviously won't come without some struggle on the part of many aspiring high school athletes, but it's certainly worth the fight.

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier knows how to grab headlines. He takes shots at opposing teams. He takes shots at his own team.

It’s an art, really.

Well, Spurrier yet again made news heading into this year’s SEC’s spring meetings when he said he’d like to see the conference choose its division champions based on division record instead of overall conference record.

Spurrier said Tuesday that he thinks talks concerning his idea will continue leading up to spring meetings in late May.

“I think the athletic directors and even the presidents are going to discuss it a little bit,” Spurrier said.

“What it does it just takes out the scheduling as [what] determines the winner of the divisions.”

When Spurrier first brought up his idea, he said it was unfair to Florida and Tennessee that they had to play both Alabama and LSU.

Spurrier again echoed those same sentiments Tuesday.

“Us and Georgia did not play [Alabama or LSU],” Spurrier said. “So obviously us and Georgia were probably going to win the division.”

Georgia did win the division, while South Carolina was a game back, despite sweeping the East (5-0). South Carolina went 1-2 against West opponents, losing to Auburn and Arkansas, while Georgia swept West teams Auburn, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

The only difference in conference scheduling was that Georgia played Ole Miss, who won just two games in 2011, and South Carolina played Arkansas (11-2).

Spurrier’s original argument dealt with his South Carolina team getting slighted last year after it went undefeated against East opponents, but he stayed away from that Tuesday.

This whole thing might have been conjured for selfish reasons, but Spurrier seems to feel pretty strongly about his proposal. However, it might be tough for this idea to really make it to the floor of the SEC office. Making some SEC games more important than others because of divisions might not sit well with the higher-ups.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive has certainly heard Spurrier’s idea, but without much time to process it he hasn’t really taken much of a stance on it. Though it doesn’t sound like he’s very thrilled by the idea.

Still, Spurrier thinks his idea has substance and hopes those around the league take it seriously.

“I think it’s a good idea,“ he said. “We’ll see how it works out.”

Last set of links for the week!

• SEC commissioner Mike Slive is skeptical of Steve Spurrier's idea on how to choose divisional champions.
• Auburn is willing to take time in naming its starting quarterback.
• Arkansas coaches are carrying on as usual even with all the uncertainty surrounding them.
• Arkansas releases the roster for the Red-White game.
• Florida coach Will Muschamp defends Urban Meyer.
• Georgia is still looking to shore up special-teams coverage units.
• Kentucky linebacker Alvin Dupree is aiming to perfect his game.
• Dominique Hamilton wants to be Missouri's next great NFL lineman.
• Mississippi State's defense impressed yet again in practice, but the offense made strides.
• Ole Miss is still a long way away, but the Rebels made progress in spring drills.
• Tennessee's Orange and White game is about more than food this year.
• Former Texas A&M quarterback Kevin Murray inducted into Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.

It’s a given that not everybody will be totally satisfied when college football finally settles on a playoff format, which will likely be in place for the 2014 season.

The USA Today this spring outlined four options being discussed, and one of those was aimed at keeping the Rose Bowl heavily involved in the process.

So much so, that the “Four Teams Plus” plan calls for the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions to always play in the Rose Bowl. The other two games in the playoff format would be filled by the four other highest-ranked teams. The two teams playing for the championship would then be selected after those three games were played.

In other words, the Big Ten and Pac-12 would get their own little play-in game for the sake of keeping the Rose Bowl involved every year.

Not surprisingly, SEC commissioner Mike Slive told a group of sports editors in Birmingham, Ala., on Monday that the “Four Teams Plus/Big Ten and Pac-12 Rule” model was not one of his favorites.

Even my esteemed colleague and Big Ten blogger, Adam Rittenberg, doesn’t like the idea.

Why play a so-called semifinal game if there’s a chance that the winner of that game might not even reach the championship game?

If you ask me, it sounds a lot like a bunch of Little League dads getting together and trying to rig a tournament where their team gets in the easiest bracket with just enough byes to get to the championship game even though they’re about the third or fourth best team in the field.

As I stated above, not everybody is going to be happy with what we end up with in the way of a playoff.

I do agree with Rittenberg that playing the semifinal games at campus sites would help preserve the pageantry of college football. Plus, it would be fun to see Alabama or Florida playing in Columbus, Ohio during the middle of the winter, and it would be just as fun to see Wisconsin or Ohio State venturing into Tiger Stadium or Bryant-Denny Stadium at any point in the season.

I still say the most important decision in this whole playoff debate will be how the teams are selected. Will a committee be formed to pick the teams, or are we going to stick with the BCS standings?

Good luck in finding a totally unbiased committee. And if we stick with the BCS standings, I’d like to see more weight given in the formula to strength of schedule.

The next BCS meetings take place next week in Hollywood, Fla.

Maybe the Big Ten and Pac-12 officials can get their own room to discuss things.

According to an NCAA document obtained by The Chronicle of Higher Education, four SEC schools opposed the new policy allowing major college programs to award athletes with multiyear scholarships.

Those four schools were Alabama, LSU, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

In the past, scholarships were renewable on a year-to-year basis, and Tennessee coach Derek Dooley was among a handful of SEC coaches who felt strongly that scholarships should continue to be awarded on a year-to-year basis.

"We forget this is a contract, a two-way street," Dooley said right after national signing day. "I think it's humorous that the academic institution can give an academic scholarship and take it away when a student doesn't perform at a certain GPA-level, but it's absolutely the worst thing you can do as a coach. It's so wrong what you do to these young people ... when he doesn't do what he's supposed to do.

"I'm still trying to figure out what I'm missing."

SEC commissioner Mike Slive has been a proponent of multiyear scholarships. In fact, it's one of the things he proposed last year at the SEC media days when outlining his agenda for change in college athletics.

Playoff talk is heating up in college football. We've heard about a plus-one, using home sites for playoff games and the possibility of just using conference champions to determine the members of a four-team playoff.

While everything is still very much up in the air and it sounds like no one involved in the discussions is exactly on the same page, SEC commissioner Mike Slive did tell Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News that he is open to using campus sites for a playoff.

Here's what Slive said:

"There are plusses and minuses to that concept. One is that you're playing a couple games to determine the national champion and to make it a home game for somebody has always been perceived as a competitive advantage. The NCAA men's basketball tournament is not played at the homes of the higher seeds. So you have to look at that.

"The other side is there would be the question of fan travel and the ability to travel to one or more games. You guarantee good attendance (at a campus stadium) -- for one team. It needs to be looked at carefully. It's on the table and it should be on the table."

You also guarantee a pretty tough road environment for a team traveling into SEC territory. Slive has to like that. But it would also provide teams outside of the SEC a chance to bounce an SEC team from a chance at a national title on its home field. Big Ten faithful would no doubt love the chance to face an SEC team in less-than-ideal conditions for southerners.

(But have an SEC team win in much, much colder weather and the Big Ten would never hear the end of it.)

For my own selfish reasons, I prefer neutral sites. I think it helps make the venue as fair as possible for each team. But I understand that it's probably better for schools financially to have home games and it might be more practical.

What Slive isn't so open to is having only conference champions participate in a playoff. If that had been the case last season, Alabama wouldn't have been crowned national champion because LSU won the SEC. However, you wouldn't have heard so much whining from outside of this part of the country that came with an all-SEC national championship.

That also means Stanford, who was fourth in the BCS standings heading into bowl season but didn't win the Pac 12, wouldn't have had the opportunity to play for a national championship.

Here's what Slive said:

"I'm willing to have a conversation about (only conference champions), but if you were going to ask me today, that would not be the way I want to go. It really is early in the discussions, notwithstanding what some commissioners say publicly. There's still a lot of information that needs to be generated."

I have to agree with Slive when it comes to not having just conference champions in the playoff. Last year, LSU and Alabama were clearly the top teams in the country and they deserved to be in the BCS title game. You automatically eliminate last year's national champion by using only conference champs. If you just put in the top four BCS teams, then Oklahoma State can talk all day about potentially putting up 30 points on an SEC defense. Stanford gets its shot and LSU gets another game to figure out what exactly it wants to do on offense.

If we are going to use the BCS in college football and you want a four-team playoff, then we should use the top four teams in the BCS standings -- however it shakes out. You won't please everyone, but it's only fair if that's the system we're going to use.

Some Friday linkage in the SEC:

• Auburn is attracting a strong list of prospects for its Junior recruiting day.
• Any changes made to the BCS will be met with skepticism, writes Tommy Hicks of the Mobile Press-Register.
• Tennessee coach Derek Dooley defends his decision to sign Deion Bonner, who was part of the Georgia locker room theft of iPods and iPhones.
• Georgia coach Mark Richt says versatility will be important for the Bulldogs next season.
• Florida begins its offseason workouts under new strength coach Jeff Dillman with an eye on strength, power and toughness.
• SEC commissioner Mike Slive says Texas A&M is a good fit for the SEC.
• Dave Matter of the Columbia Daily Tribune takes a look at the Missouri quarterbacks and how James Franklin stacks up with the other top quarterbacks in the SEC.
• Maryland's mistakes have become Vanderbilt's gain, writes David Climer of The Tennessean.
• The SEC schedule could undergo some dramatic changes following the 2012 season.

Links to go with those vending machine snacks some of us have had to call "lunch" before.

• Tennessee running back Tauren Poole has a lot to prove at the NFL combine.
• SEC commissioner Mike Slive talks a little Missouri and Texas A&M.
• Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin is set to be the first Aggie head coach to start his career on the road.
• Don't get too comfortable with the 2012 SEC football scheduling format because it could change after 2012.
• Arkansas is still recruiting for its 2012 class.
• Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News writes that players deserve benefits from a future college playoff, too.
• Auburn was the only school in the state of Alabama to support multiyear scholarships.
• The Atlanta Falcons are apparently showing interest in dismissed South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia.
• Georgia punishes cornerback Sanders Commings with probation, community service and he has to attend both an alcohol education class and an anger management class.
• LSU safety Brandon Taylor is eager to make an impression at the NFL combine.

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.

Talk about the irony of all ironies.

Urban Meyer is being called out again by one of the rival coaches in his league about recruiting tactics.

Remember the firestorm Lane Kiffin started almost three years ago to the date when he accused Meyer of cheating, albeit wrongly, during a post-signing day celebration?

That was an SEC tussle. Meyer was at Florida at the time and Kiffin at Tennessee for his 14 months of scorched earth detail.

It made for some pretty captivating theatre, as Kiffin was clearly doing anything and everything he could to get under Meyer’s skin. What ended up happening was that Kiffin got under SEC commissioner Mike Slive’s skin more than anybody, which led to Kiffin being officially reprimanded by the SEC and landing a permanent spot in Slive’s doghouse.

Now, here we are three years later, and Kiffin is at USC, where he’s toned it down considerably and done a terrific job coaching the Trojans despite severe NCAA sanctions, and Meyer is just wrapping up his first recruiting class, a star-studded one, at Ohio State.

This time, it’s Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema accusing Meyer of “illegal” recruiting tactics, although Bielema declined to be specific. One of the things that apparently irked Bielema was Meyer taking offensive lineman Kyle Dodson away from Wisconsin when Dodson had been committed to the Badgers.

That doesn’t exactly qualify as illegal, but it does qualify as being funny, especially to those of us in SEC locales.

Come on, they’re squabbling in the Big Ten about one school stealing another school’s recruits?

In the SEC, that’s a pre-requisite for recruiting. They give courses in this league on how to flip players and how to make your school look really good and the school(s) you’re recruiting against look really bad.

Some call it negative recruiting. Others call it surviving in the dog-eat-dog world of the SEC.

It’s a big-boy league, and that’s not changing any time soon.

Meyer knows that better than anyone. The pressure to win in this league is mind-numbing and never subsides. It’s one of the main reasons he’s no longer coaching in the SEC, although the football games on Saturdays at Ohio State generally rise above the level of just another extracurricular activity.

Perhaps the most telling thing to come out of this whole ordeal was Bielema’s quote to Matt Hayes of The Sporting News.

“I can tell you this: We at the Big Ten don’t want to be like the SEC -- in any way, shape or form,” Bielema said.

As Hayes points out in his piece, Bielema was referring to recruiting tactics and not necessarily the success the SEC has had on the field, specifically winning six straight BCS national championships.

Hey, Bielema is truly one of the good guys in the coaching profession and has done a bang-up job at Wisconsin.

But the truth is that until the Big Ten quits worrying so much about how the SEC goes about its business and instead gets down to the business of winning some games that count, any comparison of the two leagues is pointless.

And that’s in any way, shape or form.

Here are some SEC links to munch on while you take a break from Christmas shopping:

• LSU fullback J.C. Copeland uses his back side fully, writes Glenn Guilbeau of Gannett Louisiana News.
• D.J. Fluker is Alabama's biggest player, and the junior offensive tackle has played big this season.
• Despite the SEC's dominance, the plus-one model remains on SEC commissioner Mike Slive's mind.
• New Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze hopes to take a page out of Ed Orgeron's recruiting book.
• Former Tennessee commitment Imani Cross has no hard feelings for Derek Dooley and the Vols.
• South Carolina offensive tackle Kyle Nunn is working his way back.
• Junior college safety Kory Brown signs with Kentucky and will enroll in school in January.
• Six true sophomores could end up starting the bowl game for Florida.
• Mike Bobo's 1998 Outback Bowl lives on in the SEC bowl record books.

» BCS standings reaction: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC | Non-AQ

Well, it looks like The Rematch is a go.

With LSU and Alabama dominating over the weekend, both are on a collision course to meet each other in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game.

LSU's 41-17 win over then-No. 3 Arkansas made the Tigers the unanimous No. 1 team in both the coaches poll and the Harris poll. Alabama's 42-14 win over Auburn made the Crimson Tide the clear No. 2, as well.

With the lead LSU and Alabama have over No. 3 Oklahoma State, it looks like even if LSU were to lose to Georgia, which ranks 14th in the BCS standings, in the SEC title game Saturday, the Tigers and Tide would still meet in the BCS title game in New Orleans. Barring a total blowout by Georgia, LSU won't be moving any lower than second in the BCS standings.

What seemed like a pipe dream after the first few weeks of the season is very much a reality. And the SEC could still get three teams in the BCS.

Despite the two-teams-per-conference rule in the BCS, the SEC could make history if Georgia were to beat LSU. If it isn't a blowout, Alabama would likely move to No. 1 in the standings and LSU would drop to just second. Georgia would then get the automatic bid to the Allstate Sugar Bowl as the SEC representative.

That would leave Alabama and LSU in the national title game.

I can only imagine what SEC commissioner Mike Slive is privately rooting for.

Even if Oklahoma State were to beat Oklahoma soundly, the Cowboys wouldn't likely get enough help in the polls to push them past LSU, if the Tigers lose to Georgia.

Stanford is out, considering it won't be in the inaugural Pac-12 championship, and Virginia Tech just doesn't have enough help in the computers to leap ahead with a win in the ACC championship game.

The fact of the matter is that unless LSU is totally manhandled by Georgia and voters decide to harshly react to that, we are set to see an all-SEC national title game, meaning the SEC will win its sixth straight national title.

But there is a silver lining for those sick of all this SEC talk ... At least the SEC will actually lose in the title game this time around.

Missouri will join the SEC and plans to be the conference's 14th member in the 2012-13 academic year, according to a Sunday morning announcement.

"I am pleased to officially welcome the University of Missouri to the SEC family on behalf of our presidents, chancellors, athletics directors, students and fans," SEC commissioner Mike Slive said in the news release. "Missouri is an outstanding academic institution with a strong athletic program. We look forward to having the Tigers compete in our league starting in 2012."

But could hurdles to making that happen still lie ahead? West Virginia and the Big 12 announced their plans for the Mountaineers to join the league in 2012, but the school and the Big East are currently embroiled in dueling suits over the league's 27-month notice required in Big East bylaws.

From our news story: "A source recently told ESPN.com's Andy Katz that Missouri could have trouble getting out of the Big 12 because the league isn't sure if it can get the Mountaineers in from the Big East next season."

The Big 12 is required to have 10 members to fulfill its television contract.

Missouri and the SEC plan to have a public celebration and news conference on Sunday afternoon in Columbia.

"The Southeastern Conference is a highly successful, stable, premier athletic conference that offers exciting opportunities for the University of Missouri," school chancellor Brady J. Deaton said in the SEC statement. "In joining the SEC, MU partners with universities distinguished for their academic programs and their emphasis on student success."

Missouri's entrance also gives the SEC a fourth Association of American Universities member, joining Texas A&M, Florida and Vanderbilt.