UT Chancellor Talks Expansion

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Tennessee chancellor Jimmy Cheek opened up about a number of expansion topics with The Knoxville News Sentinel today.  Among them:


* Why Texas A&M as a 13th member?

“First of all they’re a great academic and athletic institution.  They’re somebody we believe that has the same core values we have.  All of us are large, public universities.  Certainly Texas A&M is like that.  It would be a positive addition to the SEC.”

(Cheek — an A&M grad, by the way, should try telling Vandy that it’s a “large, public university.”)


* And what about the fact that A&M is farther away than other SEC schools?

“It’s a little further west than Arkansas, but, you know, if you look at the history of the Volunteers, they travel wherever we play.  It really doesn’t make a difference.”

(A note to those of you who still think proximity plays a big role in conference makeup.)


*  And have there been any discussions about possible fits for School #14?

“We have not had any discussions about any other schools.”

(That would seem to put the kibosh on rumors that Mike Slive was given some form of permission yesterday to pursue Missouri and West Virginia.)