BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Taken fan by fan, restaurant table by restaurant table, tailgate party by tailgate party, folks in the heart of Southeastern Conference country are ready to welcome Texas A&M to the SEC.

"Isn't that exciting?" said Gary Lewis, whose Rama Jama's hamburger joint is next to Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

"I do believe that is a school we would accept," said Trey Johnston, whose J&M Bookstore in Auburn is across the street from the oak trees of Toomer's Corner, focal point of countless Auburn victory celebrations.

Unfortunately, Southern hospitality can fade when fans - whether fortified by a Rama Jama's cheeseburger, a Blue Bell ice cream shake from the Toomer's Corner soda fountain or a 12-pack of adult beverages while tailgating in Baton Rouge or Fayetteville - congregate in larger numbers.

And when 90,000 or more cram into an SEC stadium, the Aggies will find their welcome may not be altogether cordial.

"They join at their own risk," said Joseph Benak, an Auburn University junior from Dothan, Ala. "There's a big gap in the talent level between the SEC and the Big 12.

"They're taking a big risk, because they'll be in a fight every week. SEC football is a lifestyle. It's your life."

It's a lifestyle that is all-consuming in Alabama, where Auburn and Alabama, the last two BCS champions, are major league franchises, and where it's always SEC football season on the Paul Finebaum radio show, which airs across five SEC states and is heard nationwide on Sirius XM.

Hotter topics

A&M's planned move has been all-consuming for Texas college fans, given its potential to shake up the college conference landscape. In SEC country, though, the Aggies on most days play second or third fiddle to Auburn's youth movement, Alabama's quarterback rotation, Georgia coach Mark Richt's job prospects, suspensions at LSU and Auburn fans asking that Finebaum be barred from campus.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive's comments that the SEC could proceed with 13 teams in 2012 has pushed realignment talk to the forefront, but fans are focused less on the Aggies than on local concerns.

"How does it affect Auburn?" Johnston said. "That's what concerns us."

"It's almost like Texas A&M, well, that's fine, if that's what they want to do," said Ken Gaddy, director of the Paul W. "Bear" Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa. "But what is next for the SEC? What comes with it?"

When the Aggies begin play in the SEC, there will be a period of adjustment. Some fans, for example, mistakenly refer to A&M's "13th Man" tradition, missing the correct number by one digit. But as they learn about the Aggies, they'll find familiar and perhaps even enviable qualities.

As a land grant school, A&M has kindred spirits at Auburn and Mississippi State. It is yoked to Alabama by memories of coaches Bryant and Gene Stallings.

Only Florida and Vanderbilt among SEC schools are members, as is A&M, of the Association of American Universities. A&M has recent national championships in women's basketball, men's golf and men's and women's track and field, trailing only Florida among SEC schools in the 2010-11 Directors Cup standings.

As a recruiting hotbed, "I would crawl for the chance to play more games in Texas," said Frank Broyles, the former Arkansas coach and athletic director.

LSU coach Les Miles didn't mention crawling, but he sounds open to driving, flying or biking to sign more Texas recruits.

"It becomes SEC country," Miles said. "There will be a comparative and a competitive view of the choices that players have to make. I think they will be looking at which conference is the best to be in and which is closest to home and the distance their parents would have to travel to see me play, and I think the SEC would be preferred."

Lone Star imports

Enrollment could benefit, too. Texas provides about 3 percent of SEC students, ranking first among non-SEC states at six schools, and 90,000 SEC alumni live in Texas.

"Our people will be very respectful of them and their traditions," said John Merrill, a former Alabama student body president who represents Tuscaloosa in the legislature. "A&M will add a new dimension."

Winning games, however, is another thing. Some fans are downright dismissive of A&M's chances.

"They'll probably be in last place to begin with," said Auburn student Dino Dellafortuno, waiting on an order at Toomer's Corner.

"I don't see them as much of a threat," said Deston Putman, an Alabama senior, at the City Café in Northport. "They'd be up and down. Most of the time they'd be down."

Even Finebaum is skeptical that the Aggies will compete immediately.

"SEC football is like dropping somebody in the middle of the Colosseum," he said. "It's like being in a knife fight. It's as frenzied as it can get."

Alabama coach Nick Saban avoids battle metaphors but allows that the SEC presents special challenges.

"Our style of play may be a little bit different than some other part of the country," Saban said. "That doesn't make it better or worse. I do think there are probably a little better cover people and maybe better pass rushers. And I think when you come and play somebody in this league you better be ready for those things."

Added South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier: "I'm often asked who has the best conference. My answer is that's up for debate, but I know who has the biggest stadiums and the most fans, because those are facts."

While legalities and potential stumbling blocks remain, Bama and Auburn fans are prepared to welcome the Aggies. They suggest, however, that the newcomers be prepared to take a licking.

"What do brothers do? They beat the hell out of each other," Rogers said. "But if an outsider approaches, they gang up on him. That's the mentality here. It's family-slash-religion."

david.barron@chron.com