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"Loftin: “It’s like a marriage; if it’s over, it’s over. We feel we’re being kept against our will, which we believe is very inappropriate.”

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Baylor now has company when it comes to blocking Texas A&M's path to the Southeastern Conference.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge of today's Big 12 board of governors teleconference said at least several schools are unwilling to released their legal claims against the SEC should A&M switch leagues. Iowa State is one of those schools, the Des Moines Register reported today.

Just one school publicly said it would waive its legal rights, sources say. Several schools did not publicly take a position. The legal uncertainty has halted what seemed to be a clear path for A&M to consummate its goal of SEC membership, and could boost the survival chances for the Big 12.

In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, A&M president R. Bowen Loftin expressed his disappointment with the Big 12. He believed that A&M had been granted a legal waiver from the Big 12 and its schools Sept. 2. However, the new interpretation of the letter from commissioner Dan Beebe to the SEC is that it applies only to the Big 12 Conference, not to individual schools.

"It's like a marriage; if it's over, it's over," Loftin said. "We feel we're being kept against our will which we feel is very inappropriate."

He said it was unlikely that A&M would get waivers of legal rights from all nine of the remaining Big 12 schools. He said A&M is currently in "limbo-land" and looking at its next options. He did not rule out having to remain in the Big 12 past an anticipated withdrawal date of June 30, 2012.

"It's very disappointing," Loftin said. "Who wants to be in relationship that's over and has no value for you?"

Should the Aggies be forced to stay, it would greatly enhance the Big 12's hopes for survival - despite the growing animosity between A&M, the league and some of its members. A&M's situation could also impact Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, which are weighing their options after nearly joining the Pac-10 14 months ago.

A&M received conditional approval to join the SEC on Tuesday night, something the conference addressed in a statement:

"The SEC has stated that to consider an institution for membership, there must be no contractual hindrances to its departure. The SEC voted unanimously to accept Texas A&M University as a member upon receiving acceptable reconfirmation that the Big 12 and its members have reaffirmed the letter dated September 2, 2011."

The vote and statement came after Baylor indicated that it might pursue "tortuous interference" claims against the SEC and commissioner Mike Slive personally.

South Carolina president Harris Pastides was one of several SEC school officials re-enforcing the league's position.

"As a league, we know that this is not something that will happen until all of the Big 12 universities are in agreement about Texas A&M's withdrawal," Pastides said. "It is prudent to wait to ensure that everyone is aligned. At the point that happens, I will join my colleagues in welcoming A&M."

Baylor has been among the most active schools in trying to keep the Big 12 intact, and overcome the instability created by A&M's plans to depart.

But other schools also spoke-up on the conference call. Several talked about expenditures and building plans based on the conference's new $1.17 billion cable TV deal with Fox. Should A&M leave and the conference collapse, schools said they could be facing financial hardship.

"One school leaving won't be a death blow to anybody," Loftin said.

Not all Big 12 schools agree.

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It's very disappointing. Who wants to be in a relationship that's over and has no value for you?

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I wonder where, in the litany of things we needed to do in order to exit the conference, did the Big 12-2 tell us we need to get each school sign-off? Maybe we should sue the Big 12-2 for misrepresentation...

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Shows how important the institution of marriage is to Loftin. Sorry pres, leaving an athletic conference is nothing like leaving a marriage.

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