Texas A&M is set to join the Southeastern Conference, the league said Sunday, possibly signaling that legal hurdles have been cleared for the Aggies to leave the Big 12.
The SEC announced that the move will be effective next July and said Texas A&M will participate in all sports during the 2012-13 academic year. That gives the SEC 13 members and its first addition since South Carolina and Arkansas in 1992.
The Aggies’ defection from the Big 12 had been held up by the possibility of legal action from Baylor and other members. The statement released by the SEC did not mention that situation, and spokesman Charles Bloom said he could not comment.
A Big 12 administrator said neither the SEC nor Texas A&M has asked any of the Big 12 schools to waive their right to sue. The person spoke Sunday night on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
SEC presidents and chancellors voted in favor of the move on Sept. 6.
“We are excited to begin competition in the nation’s premier athletic conference,” Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin said in the statement.
It’s unclear if the SEC will add a 14th member for next season.
