The SEC is a family; a family focused on tradition, good football and, well, winning. The SEC family prides itself in holding the most football national championships of any conference, mostly thanks to the University of Alabama. It’s a title that no other family can claim.

So when the parents of the SEC announced the arrival of a new child, some of the siblings started to worry.

First of all, why do we need a new little brother? The SEC hasn’t changed for 20 years, why bother with changing now?

Secondly, what is this going to do to our family’s image? We have a history of winning, and as much as we’d like to welcome a new bouncing baby Aggie, we don’t have time to wait for the team to grow up into the proud SEC family member that we have become accustomed to.

But as hard as is it is for us to admit it, parents always know best.

The addition of Texas A&M University to the SEC, while a change in our traditional SEC family, will bring many opportunities and positive influences into our conference.

A&M has a basketball program that usually outshines ours. Also, their women’s basketball, tennis, track and baseball give them other bragging rights.

And when the little brother needs someone to practice shooting hoops with, he’s going to go inside and grab his other siblings. By adding these teams to our conference, this will then increase the level of competition for the other schools.

The new brother is also different because he’s from Texas. Yes, not technically the southeastern region of the United States, but it does mean the recruiting field for the SEC just expanded.

The amount of Texas recruits in the SEC is already high, but now that the Aggies have joined the greatest football conference in the nation, their recruits are going to increase significantly.

And the new sibling is going to click instantly with some of his older brothers. LSU and Arkansas will become instant rivals, practically sharing a bathroom with A&M because their rooms are so close.

The number of Texas students at LSU, and arguably Alabama, will make any A&M game an event for at least 20% of the student population. This excitement from the minority will trickle throughout the rest of the campus, making the A&M game excitingly personal.

And while the Aggies are not part of the tradition of the SEC, they are a school that encompasses tradition. Almost every quirk of their school is justified by tradition, and their football team is no different. They take pride in their “12th man” and yell leader traditions, just as we do “the Bear” and, well, winning.

And speaking of “the Bear,” you know where he was right before “Momma called” and he found his home at the University of Alabama? A&M. And he’s a legend there, too.

But, now that we have accepted the arrival of this new little brother, we as an older sibling have a few tips.

Please, for your sake and ours, A&M, start winning. We know the first half of the Arkansas game was impressive, but learn to close. The games are only going to get harder next year, and we’d hate to have to leave our new little brother in the dust.

Also, be cool. We know you’re excited, but some of your older brothers aren’t. So, until they have warmed up to you, keep the smack talk to a minimum.

Lastly, try to prepare yourself. This is a proud family – some might call us “the Joneses.” When your first game day against a fellow family member does arrive, just be confident – they’re only going to bully you for a while. There is a reason you have been included in such a winning tradition, so prove yourself and show that Aggie pride.

Thanks, and gig’ em.

SoRelle Wycoff is a junior majoring in history and English. Her column runs on Mondays.