CFB insider suggests Texas A&M Aggies' earnings and performance in SEC encouraged teams towards conference realignment

The Texas A&M Aggies joined the SEC ahead of the 2012 season, long before conference realignment drastically altered the college football scene.

College football analsyst Paul Finebaum discussed the impact the Aggies' move to the Southeastern Conference has had on the latest wave of conference realignments on "The Matt Barrie Show."

When asked how good the move has been for A&M, Finebaum said:

"I think it's been good. I agree with you: The record does not support that, but I think in many ways there are more relevant schools, and this is going to sound really backward, Matt, but the greatest accomplishment that Texas A&M has achieved is that they, in essence, force Texas to follow them into the SEC.

"And that's as convoluted as anything you can you've ever heard, but that's really why Texas decided to make that move, because they saw how much money A&M was making. They saw it. Recruiting-wise, they were doing so much better. Nobody really uses straight logic in college sports anymore. You gamble. It's a little bit like the future's table."

Check out Paul Finebaum's comments on the Texas A&M Aggies (starting at the 1:55 mark):

Texas A&M holds an overall record of 90-48 since joining the SEC. Their conference record, however, has been much worse as they are just 48-41. The Aggies have, however, fared much better in their recruiting efforts since joining the conference.

They enter this 2023 season as the 23rd-ranked team in the nation.

How has conference realignment affected the SEC?

The Missouri Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies are the most recent additions to the Southeastern Conference, with both joining the conference ahead of the 2012 season. That will, however, change ahead of the 2024 season as the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns are set to join the conference, making the SEC even deeper.

The addition of the two programs will bring the SEC to 16 member institutions. Conference officials, however, could look to continue expanding.

The Big Ten will have 18 members in 2024, while the Big 12 will have 16. Each of the conferences, however, could find themselves in a battle for Atlantic Coast Conference programs as there has been plenty of speculation that several schools are looking to leave the conference.