This was a great interview thanks for doing it.

With that said I am one of those that doesn't feel better about the situation after watching it. I feel more informed, but it seemed to me that because he felt rushed by the big 12 to make a choice, he stayed with the safe choice or as he put it, the no decision.

After looking at the criteria he was reviewing plus the Big 12 forcing a choice I think the SEC was the clear winner.

I'm sure he is a good man and did what he believed was the best for the university but I respectfully disagree.

Good interview. Certainly don't agree with everything he said. But he answered the questions, didn't dodge anything. Hard to escape the conclusion that remaining in the Big XII was the Administration's end game all along and that the Pac-10 was never really an option.

Don't think he really understands the anger, and how to channel that going forward.

I'm just reading between the lines of this interview, and $Bills Wednesday Weekly, but I think Bill's time at A&M is growing short. His frustration is visibly growing. Just my humble opinion.

The bottom line will always be that money and power influenced our decision. I'm also sure those outside powers were actually alumns like Drayton McClane, T. Boone, and other mega-millionaire (and billionaires) non-Ags ALL convincing Perry to stay to keep the status quo for their schools intact.

Especially McClane. He would have never lived it down had Baylor had to go to a non-BCS conference, and he threw his weight around just like the Fed-Ex CEO playing Memphis off for $10M annually, but only if someone would take them to the BCS dance.

That said, expect Perry to have a new stash of ammo to barrage Bill White with in their race for Governor. Since BW is also rich from shady deals, this will be a bloodbath of an election race. However, it may uncover some of the things we'd not ever have heard about with respect to how this deal went down with Perry steering the boat...that is if White has a great staff of investigative reporters.

quote:

---

Gabe, maybe I'm old school (ok, no maybe), but couldn't you wear a coat? He's the Prez!

---

I'm not old school and I was thinking the exact same thing. Invest in some threads, Gabe!

props to the video production crew. great quality

Good interview.

Even though I may not agree with all he said in answering some of the questions, it is nice to at least hear some details from someone involved in the whole ordeal.

My take away from this:

This is a very important stage in Texas Aggie athletics. I have this gut feeling that he knows that this league might not be around for a long time. "If" the TV deals work out and we do double to triple our income that would be huge for now. "If" Coach Sherman is the right ball coach for TAMU(I think he is heading the right direction), then the Big 12-2 will be easier for us to climb back to the upper echelon of football schools. If this occurs and the league does dissolve we will be in a much greater bargaining position than we are now.
Of course this all depends upon us winning and competing for the Big 12-2 football championship year in and year out for the next 5-7 years.

Therefore I have decided not to cancel my season football tickets.

Again, THANK YOU TEXAGS STAFF for giving me the first "real" information from the President of TAMU!

Great interview and I'm impressed with Dr Loftin. Being in the minority regarding the SEC, he made the decision I prefer.

quote:

---

I learned a long time ago that two people can have different opinions based on the same facts, because they value different things.

---

Well said ag-bq-seventy.

I've watched Texas college football since my Dad took me to old Riee stadium to watch Sammy Baugh, and a year(?) later, Dick Todd and the Ag team in the same place. And I was hooked. (Not by Bevo. After watching the tu fans salute the Ag band in austin with the Nazi salute in 1994, I ssid never a game again in austin---for me) And years of Big 8 ball at Norman and Stillwater while my three children passed thru the Okie schools. Traditions do count; Ags should have learned this. Screw the SEC.

I gave up personal attendance at the Ag games at the close of the 2007 season. Physical limitations and poor eye-sight made several Tulsa-to-College Station trips each year much more difficult than a Lazy Boy before our TV set.

I'll probably never suffer the Ags in the SEC at my age. Now, bring on Notre Dame and the return of the Pigs.

quote:

---

"Take a deep breath and realize that A&M is now on par (for the first time ever) financially with tu and OU" is one of the main ones.

---

I don't see this as a positive at all. This is a punch to the gut for me. I don't want my administration to strive to be equal with tu & OU. I want to be better. We had the better hand and we folded.

Gabe, am I understanding correctly that the BOR still has to meet and issue a decision on this? Was he implying there's still a chance his decision could be overturned?

Well Done

Well spoken Loftin, blue star for you.

"You got anymore questions you wanna ask?"-John Wayne

What about the questions od how the coaches felt the SEC move would benefit from staying or going to the SEC? The potential for better recruits and selling points over the other Big 12 schools?

The travel times to SEC west would not be that difficult and the Big 12-2 is now the lowest academic conference, so please quit giving the student athlete excuse.

I would also love for one of the posters that agrees with this decision to point out guarantees that pu this decision as better than the SEC.

Sorry - Worst bunch of fringe responses ever. The interview did not even hit on the major points common sense and reason demand. Of course I think we know why...

I'm going to post before seriously reading anyone elses responses... I thought it was a great interview that answered many questions. He was blunt and mostly to the point. I appreciate that and more importantly greatly respect him for spending his time giving the interview.

Does anyone know the Oklahoma news article he was referencing?

quote:

---

Don't think he really understands the anger,

---

That's because the anger is misguided and based on emotion and group think.

Bells,

quote:

---

He said money differences were a wash between the three choices. But, he didn't look past today to tomorrow.
He talked about how uncertain the Pac-10 money was, but failed to quantify the likelihood that the Big 12-2 money is a flat hoax, and failed to give credit that the most definite money (both present and future) was in the SEC.

---

Your ranting opinion is highly flawed. "quantify the likelihood" ... "a flat hoax" ...? Do you expect Dr. L to give a CPA audit during an interview? Your opinion is linked to your unrelenting lust for the SEC.

quote:

---

To say "money is not the issue" is almost a lie. Money does matter. AND, it has a lot to do with academics. ATHLETIC PROWESS ATTRACTS ACADEMIC TALENT. It's a cold hard truth.

---

He gave enough information to support his analysis that the money was equal between Big12 lite and SEC, so therefore "money is not the issue". Your unsupported statement about "Athletic Prowess Attracts Academic Talent" is perhaps cold and hard, but is NOT truth – just rant.

quote:

---

He talks about the importance of having the ability to be seen on national TV, but fails to say anything about being seen as a winner.

---

Are you suggesting that if A&M jumps right into the SEC we can beat Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, and Ark.? This is what floors me about all the TexAgs posters ranting about A&M’s success in the SEC. I would rather have a winning season first.

quote:

---

Dr. Loftin says this was a "no decision" decision. That's crazy talk. The Big 12 is gone. Dr. Loftin DECIDED to join this dishonorable alliance.

---

NO! Despite all the prognostication, all the BS, all the opinions, tu, ttceh, ou, okieSt. Never left the Big12, nor did A&M. The conference still existed as a legal entity, and if A&M Admin. had decided to carry forward to go to the SEC, then A&M would have had to pay the Million$ of dollars of buy-out like CU and NU. And guess who would have gotten that money - , tu, ttceh, ou, okieSt, along with Baylor and the rest. That wasn’t mentioned, but that would be a negative taking away from the SEC money deal.

quote:

---

And no, not even a national championship in football will overturn all of the disgrace...not for the administrators anyway.

---

You are truly a blithering idiot. The only disgrace is in your mind.

quote:

---

The most encouraging takeaways are that Dr. Loftin's regrets that he couldn't talk to more people, hinting that more information would have enabled the right decision. And more so, his repeated mention that the Board of Regents hasn't yet met on this issue is very encouraging.

---

There is no issue left for the BOR to address, in this regard, except perhaps to put more contingency plan in place for dealing with the kind of manipulation tu tried to pull off but failed. (That is, unless you consider the conspiracy theory that they planned this all to get rid of championship game and get more money; but that wasn’t a complete success because A&M came out with more money. "Take a deep breath and realize that A&M is now on par (for the first time ever) financially with tu and OU."

[This message has been edited by SiValleyAg68 (edited 6/17/2010 10:03p).]

Questions leading right where Loftin wanted the focus to be and away from the reality of what they missed out on. Ridicuolous and so typical.

texasaggie04,

quote:

---

I don't see this as a positive at all. This is a punch to the gut for me. I don't want my administration to strive to be equal with tu & OU. I want to be better. We had the better hand and we folded.

---

Do you realize how stupid this sounds? If at one point someone is behind another, then in order to get ahead that someone has to be even with the other at a moment in time.

Wormhole,

quote:

---

quote:

---

Don't think he really understands the anger,

---

That's because the anger is misguided and based on emotion and group think.

---

You are right on.
It’s hard for me to fathom the frenzy of unsupported opinions posing as reasoning.

It's just like the current U.S. political climate, not surprising, really.

As an Aggie I like to watch every game no matter who we play. I would actually get to do that if we played in the SEC. Now you can say if we win more then we will be on TV. And I say that if we are on TV first then we will recruit better and win more. And being the only team from Texas that can offer recruits SEC caliber games that are televised is not too bad either.

Good Interview, but it does not appear that winning games, improving recruiting, and gaining momentum in Texas were decision factors at all. Just getting more money and maintaining the current status. He mentioned how all this will go away if A&M wins a national championship, totally true. Unfortunately, it is not going to happen without shaking things up.

KYZ.Aggies

quote:

---

Gabe, am I understanding correctly that the BOR still has to meet and issue a decision on this? Was he implying there's still a chance his decision could be overturned?

---

No...it sure doesn't sound like that is going to happen. Dr. Loftin made it pretty clear during the interview that it was basically a "no decision" since A&M was deciding to just stay put. I don't think A&M feels it's necessary to get together just to agree to "do nothing." But that's just my opinion on how I heard that part of the interview.

Great interview Gabe, Billy et al. As I said in a much earlier post on another thread, let's all wait to hear the facts before we jump off a building. The facts are coming to light now, slowly, and it is now apparent to me, more than ever, that Dr. Loftin, Bill Byrne and others involved really have tried to do what is in A&M's and out Athletes best interest. You can disagree with me if you wish since that is your right, but I am convinced that they made the right decision based on the facts and the time they had to work with. Am I 100% happy? NO! Will I continue to support A&M in every way I can? Emphatically, YES!!! As Dr. Loftin said at the end of the interview, if we are National Champs next season this all is forgotten!! That probably won't happen, but what the heck. Well, guess what, our Track & Field teams ARE National Champs right now!!! Give them a little love Ags!!! Two years in a row is no small feat. Gig 'em!!!

Aggie family, please forgive me for my original post. I was angry, but had no business writing such a post directed to our president. My actions were disgraceful. Up until this week, I'd probably made no more than five posts on any forum in my life, and I plan to make no more than five from this point forward. It's not a good medium for me, and if you knew me personally, I'd hope that you find my original statements unbecoming of the character I live in real life.

What a solid guy, glad he represents our university! Great interview Gabe!

Coach '60

ps. we could have that cal berkley nut like the sips!

Good interview...my only option is to take him at his word and trust that this will all be in the interest of A&M!

Hey, maybe we will the BCS NC this year!!!! (could happen...really, it could!)

Gig'em Dr L...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_land-grant_universities

Dr. Loftin mentioned several times that Land Grant Universities have common missions and that was an important part of his decision process. He mentioned this along with the culture of the schools in the conference. I had a sneaking suspicion that this would be one more area where the SEC comes out on top so I did a little research. It seemed like most of Dr. Loftin's arguments were in favor of the SEC. I was baffled by his interview. I really don't think this is over by a longshot.

Land Grant Universities

Texas A&M University

PAC-12
Washington State
Oregon State
Arizona

LITTLE 10
Iowa State
Kansas State
Oklahoma State
Missouri

SEC
Auburn
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
LSU
Mississippi State
Tennessee

Virginia Tech (one of the teams mentioned that might be paired up with A&M)



[This message has been edited by Old Main (edited 6/21/2010 12:38a).]

Old Main

From a Land Grant view I see your point.

From a CoC view I see the 2 biggest schools in the same conference.

A&M + Va Tech = SEC or ACC or Big 12, but it would put both CoC's in the same conference.

5 out of 6 CoC's are in the south, and none fall in the Big 10 or Pac 10 footprint.

Kentucky Mustangs, First Regiment Volunteers - Kentucky longriflemen formed in Bardstown, KY in November 1835 to fight for the Texas Revolution.

Thanks for that follow-up post, Bells. Nicely done.

Bowties are funny looking.

I only care about track if they're dual sport athletes. Win at football.

http://nathaneharvey.com/