When Texas A&M was a member of the Big 12, it scheduled home-and-home series with USC and Oregon. The USC series was scheduled for 2015-16. The Oregon series was set for 2018-19.

"When you combine USC and Oregon with the nonconference games we have planned with Arkansas, SMU and the others in the coming seasons, I think our future football schedules will be challenging and highly entertaining," then Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne said at the time.

Looked like nice matchups and a good trip for fans. Great opportunity for the Pac-12 to go 4-0 against a quality foe.

Now that Texas A&M is a member of the SEC, those series are dead.

Which stinks.

Was cowardice -- known as savvy scheduling in some parts -- to blame? Perhaps, but it sounds like things have been pretty complicated from a logistical side for A&M.

From the Houston Chronicle:

Those games are no longer part of A&M's plans, [A&M AD Eric] Hyman said, because "having switched from the Big 12 to the SEC, we've had to scrub our whole schedule - throw it almost out. Going forward, we've had conversations with people, but we really can't be contractually (obligated) until the conference says you've got the green light."

Slive said this week, moving forward, he intends for SEC schools to first receive their league game dates and then schedule non-conference contests around those.

"When we know what we've got and we know where the holes are and what we have to work with," Hyman said in regard to when scheduling can be tackled.

Further, USC has stepped back from its once aggressive scheduling. It's next major nonconference foe, other than the annual matchup with Notre Dame, is Texas in 2017-18. Oregon has a home-and-home set up with Michigan State for 2014-15.