Texas A&M regent Stallings says he wants Big 12 to survive, but still favors SEC over Pac-10

Texas A&M regent Stallings wants Big 12 to survive

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas A&M regent Gene Stallings said he wants the Big 12 to survive — and would vote to keep the Aggies in the league if they don’t get a much better offer from another conference.

Stallings told The Associated Press on Monday that keeping the Big 12 together “would tickle me to death.”

The fate of the conference born in 1996 when the Big 8 merged with four members of the Southwestern Conference appears to be hanging in the balance.

Nebraska and Colorado have already announced their intentions to leave the league by 2012. The Cornhuskers are headed to the Big Ten and Buffaloes to the Pac-10.

The question now is will Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State be joining Colorado in a bulked up Pac-10 or will those South division rivals stick with a trimmed down Big 12?

Texas appears to be the pied piper in this situation, with the other schools seemingly ready to line up behind the Longhorns once their hierarchy decides where it wants its cash cow football program to compete.

Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe has reportedly told his remaining members that new television deals with a 10-team league would give league revenues a huge boost.

But Texas A&M represents another wild card. If the Aggies are serious about leaving for the SEC, no matter what Texas and the others decide, would that prompt the Longhorns, Sooners and the rest to decide the Big 12 is not worth saving with only nine members?

Stallings comments to the AP early Monday might give a hint as to where the Aggies’ loyalties lie.

He coached Alabama to a football national championship in 1992. He has said that if Texas A&M does move, he’d rather see the Aggies go to the Southeastern Conference than the Pac-10.

But the last thing he wants to see is the Big 12 break apart. Aggies officials have met with Pac-10 and SEC officials in recent days.

Regents at Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have scheduled meetings Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss conference allegiances. Stallings says he expects Texas A&M regents to meet later this week.