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Big Ten will 'definitely' have a Texas school by 2026

By Andrew Hughes

Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; General view of the logo on the field prior to the game between
Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; General view of the logo on the field prior to the game between / Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
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According to longtime college football radio host Greg Swaim's B1G source in Chicago, the Big Ten will have a school from the state of Texas by the 2026 season -- and his hunch is that Texas A&M will be the university making that jump.

"Received an e-mail 10 minutes ago from our Chicago B1G source, that said 'The B1G will definitely have a Texas school by 2026,'" Swaim prefaced before saying, "As we reported months ago, TAMU and the B10 have been having serious third party talks for over six months."

This is consistent with Swaim's previous reporting from his Chicago source that Texas A&M (and Notre Dame) would join the B1G sometime down the road.

"Who are the next two teams to join the B1G and make it the Big 20? Our terrific Chicago source tells us that he's hearing it'll very likely be Notre Dame (who has a perpetual invite) and TAMU, as the B1G wants to get into Texas and the Aggies are very unhappy with the addition of the Longhorns (duh?)," Swaim prefaced before saying, "Once again he reiterates there will not be any invites to non-AAU member teams, so doesn't believe FSU nor Clemson will get invitations.

"Certainly not expecting it soon, but the TAMU to the B1G rumor does have legs. More money, no Longhorns and Aggies being told if they make this move will have veto power if Texas tries to move again."

Texas A&M and Texas are only Lone Star State options to qualify for Big Ten membership

Texas A&M and the University of Texas at Austin are the only two Lone Star State schools with AAU accreditation; meaning that the two Lone Star Showdown programs are the only schools eligible for Big Ten membership.

With Texas joining the SEC for the 2024-25 academic calendar, it's nearly impossible projecting them to leave the conference after just two seasons in the "It Just Means More" conference. Nothing would be more damning to the SEC's reputation than losing a potential pillar to the B1G after just two years. Since Oklahoma doesn't have AAU accreditation, the odds of UT leaving the SEC are almost certainly slim to none.

But Texas A&M? They may be looking to leave because of Texas' presence in their conference. TAMU left the Big 12 to be the state of Texas' representative in the SEC to get a leg up in recruiting, so the Longhorns following them in 2024 is something that can have the Aggies considering another conference jump.

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