A couple good stories to read today. One short, one long.

This short post on the Rice Marching Band (known as the MOB). They got some attention over the weekend with their halftime performance against Texas where they spelled out “$EC.” In the past they also had some fun at the expense of Coach Todd Graham — who left Rice for Tulsa after one season.  But A&M is a favorite target for a reason.

The MOB certainly seems to enjoy gigging their former Southwest Conference foes. During Saturday’s show, the band took on Texas Gov. Rick Perry (a proud A&M grad) and his presidential bid. The announcer declared, “The next time you go to the polls, ask yourself: Is your candidate smarter than an Aggie?”

The MOB will take on a sacred cow “wherever we find it,” says Throckmorton. “The thing about A&M is everything is sacred there. It’s sort of a match made in heaven.”

One more reason why A&M will fit right into the SEC.

Then there is the long, sad story of Daryl Turner.

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Up to this point, it has been maneuvering. It has been rumors, positioning, intent and supposition. Today, the bleep gets real (probably).

School officials spent Tuesday preparing for a news conference at Kyle Field to celebrate the move, pending a favorable vote from SEC presidents to extend an invitation. The SEC presidents met Tuesday night and discussed an invitation to A&M, and sources said one final hurdle must be cleared before the deal is complete.

The SEC made no formal announcement. A&M’s announcement could be delayed until Thursday.

And that vote appears to have gone through, though, Baylor is doing whatever it can to stop everything.To the point where this may actually be delayed longer than merely a day.

When it happens, though, it will set in motion three different tracks in the great expansiopocolypse of 2011, Hmmm. This will definitely bleed into 2012. Think this is what the Mayans really meant about the end of an age? Starts to make some sense now.

Those fear of lawsuits from the Big 12 and member schools against the SEC appeared to be  a thing of the past. Well, except for one school — Baylor.

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