After nearly a month of attempting to eliminate legal obstacles, Texas A&M University will now be able to officially join the Southeastern Conference, the league said Sunday. The move will be effective in July 2012, and the Aggies will be able to participate in all sporting events within the SEC in the 2012-2013 academic year.
“Texas A&M is a nationally prominent institution on and off the field and a great fit for the SEC tradition of excellence – athletically, academically and culturally,” SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said in a statement Sunday afternoon.
This announcement came just weeks after A&M’s move to the SEC seemed to have temporarily stalled, largely due to other Big 12 schools who threatened to sue Texas A&M if the Aggies attempted to dart to another conference. 
As far as Mississippi State is concerned, if the SEC continues to align divisions geographically, the Dogs could find themselves playing Texas A&M annually in all sports. Mississippi State Athletic Director Scott Stricklin released a statement Sunday evening on the news.
“The Mississippi State athletic department, -our coaches, student-athletes and administration, is excited to welcome Texas A&M to the Southeastern Conference. Texas A&M is a school with great traditions, and its passionate fan base fits nicely with the unique culture of the SEC. We look forward to athletic competitions with the Aggies, while working together off the field to make the SEC an even stronger conference,” Stricklin said in his statement.
Texas A&M, located in College Station, Texas, will look to bolster the already sterling prestige of SEC football. In the last 20  years, the Aggies have finished with just four losing seasons. Texas A&M’s stadium, Kyle Field, is known as “The Home of the 12th Man.” The stadium sits 83,000 and is said to be one of the craziest college football environments in the entire Southwest.
As impressive as Texas A&M’s football resume is, the recent history of Aggie basketball is almost equally as impressive. A&M has not had a losing season in basketball since 2003-2004 and  advanced all the way to the Sweet 16 in the 2006-2007 season. The Aggies insertion into SEC basketball could play a vital role in rejuvenating a conference that has begun to lose a small amount of luster on the basketball court recently.
Texas A&M’s move to the SEC may prove to be the beginning of a domino effect, as several universities around the United States have recently discussed moving to a different conference.