New Fight Song for Texas A&M?

[Mitch McConnell]

Should the Aggies leave -- and this story is taking so many bizarre turns -- for the SEC, you can pretty much bet that when they do, Texas ENDS the series immediately. And if I'm Texas, I would absolutely do that.

Assuming the series ends and since the Aggie War Hymm is devoted toward its hatred toward UT, do the Aggies:

1. Keep the War Hymm the same even though they are no longer playing Texas.

2. Revise the War Hymnn to make them now describe how they passionately hate Vanderbilt?

3. Change completely to "When Johnny Comes Marching Home.''

4. Create a new song.

Hard to know but might as well ask it.

[mrydel]

Well the current song begins by saying goodbye to Texas. It is just now that it becomes relevant.

[DiamondM]

I know some pretty timeless, classic alternate lyrics. I can't put them here though.

[Pony ^]

Well the current song begins by saying goodbye to Texas. It is just now that it becomes relevant.

+1

[PonyLaw_aTm]

There is actually a non-texas centric verse that is supposed to follow the regular one, but we just sing the texas verse twice.

Nobody really knows the other verse (including myself), but my guess is that we will actually just change to singing that one. I want to say that the verse is pretty bland and sounds generic, which is why no one liked it in the first place.

Of course, I would disagree with MM's statement that we won't play tu anymore. And if we still play tu, I assume we don't change the song. Last year, tu was ready to bolt the big12 themselves, and only stayed b/c enough money (and potential for making money on their own network) was thrown at them.

Each university has a stake in keeping the game alive. TAMU is all about keeping strong traditions alive, even when its in the school's best interest to move on. Clearly they believe the SEC is in the best interest of the school, but there is too much tradition in the rivalry to not have the game. Texas has proven that its all about the benjamins, baby. That's not meant to be derogatory, because it has obviously worked and brought a ton of success to the program. There is too much money involved in the rivalry game for tu to let it die.

ps- let me get out in front of the cynical "TAMU is all about the money in the end, too" argument. Of course they are, but tradition, etc. is much more important to TAMU and would factor into their decision making more than most other schools.

[RednBlue11]

There is actually a non-texas centric verse that is supposed to follow the regular one, but we just sing the texas verse twice.

Nobody really knows the other verse (including myself), but my guess is that we will actually just change to singing that one. I want to say that the verse is pretty bland and sounds generic, which is why no one liked it in the first place.

Of course, I would disagree with MM's statement that we won't play tu anymore. And if we still play tu, I assume we don't change the song. Last year, tu was ready to bolt the big12 themselves, and only stayed b/c enough money (and potential for making money on their own network) was thrown at them.

Each university has a stake in keeping the game alive. TAMU is all about keeping strong traditions alive, even when its in the school's best interest to move on. Clearly they believe the SEC is in the best interest of the school, but there is too much tradition in the rivalry to not have the game. Texas has proven that its all about the benjamins, baby. That's not meant to be derogatory, because it has obviously worked and brought a ton of success to the program. There is too much money involved in the rivalry game for tu to let it die.

ps- let me get out in front of the cynical "TAMU is all about the money in the end, too" argument. Of course they are, but tradition, etc. is much more important to TAMU and would factor into their decision making more than most other schools.

why do you keep mentioning Tulsa?

[DiamondM]

ps- let me get out in front of the cynical "TAMU is all about the money in the end, too" argument. Of course they are, but tradition, etc. is much more important to TAMU and would factor into their decision making more than most other schools.

Bah. As a fairly neutral observer, since I strongly dislike both A&M and Texas (and actually dislike Texas even more), the lack of ANY voices from the Texas A&M faithful talking about putting the breaks on this steamroller based on tradition has really baffled me. A&M's unique dedication to tradition has always been one of the things I actually respect about the school and its fanbase. But if tradition had any thing to do with the discussion, then A&M wouldn't be charging headfirst into its new rivalry with, who?, Mississippi State? just because it feels bullied and "second-class-citizened" by big brother Texas. Some wiser person would be saying "Hey, wait a minute, is pulling up stakes in the neighborhood where we are at worst 2nd or 3rd on the totem pole and moving to a neighborhood where we will be at best 4th or 5th on the totem pole worth giving up the tradition we have established here?" Instead, every single Aggie I here seems hell-bent on sticking it to Texas because they're mad and because they like the idea of a better conference courting them, as if A&M leaving really hurts Texas all that much (as opposed to other Big XII schools) financially, competitively, or emotionally. But the reality is that A&M would just be trading an admittedly unbearably cocky and greedy close relative for a larger number of unbearably cocky big bullies who have no existing relationship and probably will never care about A&M, but who are all too happy to accept the booty of getting their footprint into Texas for recruiting purposes.

Trying to pay lip service to "tradition" now is just a hollow face-saving device.

[SMUFan]

Tradition — SMU tradition — is great, but I find it shocking that any PonyFan gives a damn about whether Aggie High sticks with its current song or not.

Just beat the Aggies!

[PonyLaw_aTm]

Diamond, are you actually suggesting that the Big12 itself is a tradition that Ags should want to save? How long has it been around? I don't think the Ags owe anything to the Big12 as far as tradition goes.

Read the whole post, I was saying the Ags will keep playing tu, for the sake of tradition/money. Thats it. Sure, we are leaving behind our long and storied tradition of also playing Baylor/Tech/OU, but I would be hard pressed to find an Ag who really REALLY cared about those games so much they wouldn't trade them for SEC games. Georgia/GA Tech, and Florida/FSU have still managed to hate each other plenty while being in different conferences.

To answer your question about who TAMU's new in-conference rival would be in the SEC...hmm let me give that about a half second of thought and say Arkansas. Arkansas was a member of the SWC (tradition!) and they have a deal to play in Jerryworld for the next X years. I don't know how that will play out if they are in the same conference, but either way, TAMU-Ark is a respectable old school game.

I would say the potential move is less about sticking it to Texas and more about getting out of a subpar situation.

[DiamondM]

Georgia/GA Tech, and Florida/FSU have still managed to hate each other plenty while being in different conferences.

Keep telling yourself that. Growing up in the Big 8, THE rivalry was OU/Nebraska, not OU/Texas. Simply splitting OU and Nebraska in separate divisions in the same conference ruined that rivalry. If you think Georgia/GA Tech is a huge rivalry, then you haven't been paying much attention. I'll give you FSU/Florida, sort of. Yes, they still play (most?) every year, but the reality is the Florida considers its games against Georgia, Alabama, and even LSU bigger than any game against FSU. Why? Because they matter in the conference. FSU and Miami seem like bigger rivals than FSU/FLA.

And it's not about preserving the Big XII per se, it's about the fact that A&M, the quintessential Texas school, will be in a conference with 0 other Texas schools. Will they still play Texas every year? Probably (for a while). But will it still be Thanksgiving if they're in the middle of conference season? Maybe. Will it matter as much to the participants as it mattered when they were playing for conference positioning? Doubtful. Will anyone in the SEC be a real rival for A&M? Not for a long long time, and even then, unfortunately for you, it won't be with the biggest "traditional" schools in the SEC because they already have rivals, thank you very much, but with the second tier schools.

[PonyLaw_aTm]

I said we would keep playing texas, not that it would be as meaningful as it is today. If its a non-conference game its never going to be as big a deal as it would be in-conference; no one ever tried to say it would. Its just a fun game that should be kept alive.

As far as an SEC rivalry, you failed to address Arkansas. So Arkansas isn't a traditional SEC school. And? If TAMU goes SEC, TAMU won't be a traditional SEC school either. But both Ark and TAMU spent a long long time together in the SWC. Seems natural.