TX and A&M garner more academic respect nationally that all the SEC schools except Vandy.

Unless you mean they are at a disadvantage in recruiting vs. SEC schools due to that fact...

Interesting tidbit of note is that LSU and Ole Miss were approached at the formation of the Southwest Conference but chose not to participate, later to become charter members of the Southern and then Southeastern Confernce. Also, after the departure of Arkansas, the SWC apparently considered the addition of Tulane, but obviously such an expnasion was never completed. If it had been, there would have been de facto membership exchanges between the SEC and SWC (Arkansas-Tulane) as well the ACC and SEC (Georgia Tech-South Carolina).

Niether Tulane nor GT has been in the SEC for decades.

Interesting article in Dave Campbell's Texas Football magazine about the demise of the SWC. He prefaces it with the comments that memories fade over 10 years and not all the memories were consistent. But he talked to many of the players in the realignment.

Summarizing some of the consensus:
Texas and Texas A&M seriously discussed moving to the Pac 10 in 1991.

In 1993 A&M was talking to the SEC and Texas was talking to the Big 8.

A&M thought they were going to the SEC as it made the most financial sense. They would go w/o Texas. They expected UH or TCU to be invited if Texas didn't go, but the SEC never committed to that (personally, I don't know how the SEC would have worked the divisions in that lineup).

UT AD DeLoss Dodds and OU AD were the drivers in the merger.

Politicians' importance was overplayed. Ann Richards (Baylor) was really not involved at all. However the politicians did make pre-emptive moves to let UT and A&M know that there would be consequences if Baylor or Tech were left out. One wondered what would have happened if it all played out 2 years earlier when the Lt. Gov. was from UH and the Speaker was from TCU. The Speaker had Tech ties and Lt. Gov. had Baylor and Tech ties and numerous chairmen had Baylor or Tech ties.

Tech and Baylor were always in the Big 12 mix. At the time, they were way ahead of the other 4 SWC schools. The UT president said Tech was never "on the bubble." Baylor was involved in the discussions early on.

The Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock "closed" the deal. He told A&M they were not going to the SEC. The quote was, "Well, you know, Texas Tech and Baylor and Texas are going to the Big 12, and you need to be with us."

Intresting bc before the Big 12 was formed I always thought of Texas as a Big 8 type of school and Texas A&M as a SEC type of school.