Missouri will explore conference options

[Will94]

Missouri will explore conference options Tiger Extra - Mizzou Sports | ColumbiaTribune.com

ST. LOUIS — The University of Missouri Board of Curators announced Tuesday that it has delegated power to MU Chancellor Brady Deaton to explore options for future conference affiliation.

This could be the first step in the process of Missouri departing the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference, although Deaton said the school is just beginning to consider its options and didn't rule out staying in the Big 12.

"The board of curators delegates to Chancellor Deaton the authority to take any and all actions necessary to fully explore options for conference affiliation and contracts related there to, which best serve the interests of the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Missouri system," curator Warren Erdman said. "This action was taken unanimously tonight and is effective immediately."

To avoid a conflict of interest, Deaton announced he had relinquished his role as the chairman of the Big 12 Board of Directors.

This is exactly how it went down with NU, CU, and A&M. In a week or two, Mizzou will send the Bovine 9 a letter that they are leaving the conference contingent on finding a new conference home. A week or so after that, the SEC will announce that they have received and approved an application from Mizzou who will be the 14th member of the conference beginning 7/1/2012.

My only question is if Ken Starr will make a "Save the Border War" website.

And the Bovine 9 becomes 'Bevocho'.

 

[Ronnie-]

It certainly fits with the past rumors. They are at the least thinking about moving, and seriously.

 

[osu1991]

No real news, it's exactly what everyone expected. Whether they leave or not is still debatable. They are looking at nearly $40 million in exit fees and lost revenue on upgrades they had planned and will have to put on hold if they move. Their boosters can't cover that and any SEC money won't make up for it in the short term either. They will be on thin ice for a while if they choose to move. Long term will they gain anything from moving that they can't get by staying put? That is the question Deaton has to answer. The Big 12's tier 1 contract with ABC/ESPN will be up in 3 years and it will jump to at least as much as the $1billion dollar deal Fox agreed to in their Big 12 renewal.

 

[Will94]

Missouri will not have to pay anywhere near $40 million in exit fees. Nebraska and Colorado wound up paying a little under half of what the Big 12 initially asked of them. Nebraska almost decided to pay nothing because they felt that the Big 12 bylaws were weak enough that they could get away with it.

There is far more in this link about Big 12 conference bylaws than any non-attorney would probably ever want to know.

Reality: There Are No Barriers To Missouri in SEC : Outkick The Coverage

Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman said last year he believed he had a strong argument against giving up any money.

'I'm also cognizant of the risks associated with litigation," Perlman said last year. "What I think is the law may not turn out to be the law. I'm disappointed, as an academic, that my curiosity about the legal claims won't be resolved. But when you look at everything, I think it made sense in this setting to get this behind us and avoid the risks of litigation.'"

Certainly the Big 12 believes this is a litigation risk as well, it's why the league ultimately settled with Nebraska for $9.25 million and with Colorado for $6.86 million.

That settlement represented 47.6% of the payout that both schools would have owed under the bylaws. If A&M and Missouri did the same with its projected $26.1 million that would come to $12.4 million.

 

[osu1991]

Read the post again. I didn't say it was all exit fees. It has been stated by Missouri admin themselves, that a move will cause them to stop projects they have planned and lost revenue from putting things on hold in addition to exit fees will be around $40 million and they know their boosters and alumni can't come up with that. It's already been stated the exits fees for Missouri and Texas' little brother will be in the 10-14 million neighborhood.

 

[Will94]

No turning back now for Missouri Tiger Extra - Mizzou Sports | ColumbiaTribune.com

ST. LOUIS — It was described last night in the most innocuous way: Missouri would explore options for conference affiliation.

Realistically, the announcement was a resignation from the Big 12.

With the powers vested in Brady Deaton, the Tigers will be playing in the Southeastern Conference next year. Those words didn't actually come out of Deaton's mouth. During a brief press conference after a four-hour Board of Curators session, the MU chancellor said he would be "exploring options generally" and didn't rule out staying in the Big 12.

But last night's announcement that the curators had given Deaton permission to shop around wouldn't have been made if minds weren't made up. The last month was spent exploring options generally, and the next few weeks will be spent specifically pursuing a spot in the SEC. If Missouri stayed in the Big 12 now, the fan outrage would be a combo platter of J.C. Louderback math errors, Tyus Edney layups and Shevin Wiggins kicked balls — with a side order of Matt Painter snubs.

 

[Ramy]

I would bet they join the SEC

 

[Ronnie-]

I am reading in the paper this morning that they have a majority of SEC schools to vote for them, but they DONT have the 9 needed for it to pass.

Bama apparently is not in favor of it because it would most likely mean the loss of the Tenn. rivalry game.
Others are saying hold out for someone better, and some are thinking about the fact that Missouri would rather be in the Big 10 anyway.

 

[Will94]

Mizzou would be very foolish to have gone this far without having already made sure that they had the votes.

 

[Ronnie-]

Mizzou would be very foolish to have gone this far without having already made sure that they had the votes.

Would not be the first time they have flirted with it.

 

[Ronnie-]

The more that comes out, the more it seems that the SEC is holding out, has other plans, or is waiting again for legal reasons.

 

[Will94]

The more that comes out, the more it seems that the SEC is holding out, has other plans, or is waiting again for legal reasons.

There were reports last week that Mizzou only had eight votes in the SEC. They would need nine to join. Then on Friday former Oklahoma State head coach Pat Jones said that an SEC source had told him that it was a "done deal." Word was that if Missouri were to join the east, they would get votes from Alabama and Tennessee who didn't want Mizzou in the west which would have ended their rivalry game. There was supposed to be a straw poll vote on Mizzou at an SEC meeting yesterday.

Here is a map showing how Mizzou to the SEC East sort of makes sense.

Oh, and then someone on the inside at Mizzou leaked a 45 page document to the AP. It's apparently very pro SEC, which I have taken to mean that someone at Mizzou is losing patience with this process.

Document outlines Mizzou SEC explorations - KansasCity.com

The document anticipated Big 12 exit penalties of roughly $25.9 million — the low end of what other sources had feared could be as high as $40 million withheld over two years — and theorized a more likely exit fee would ultimately be $10.4 million if Missouri were to give the Big 12 two years of notice before departing.

Even without such notice, prior Big 12 departures resulted in only $9.62 million of penalties from Nebraska and $6.86 million from Colorado.

Another piece of information that Missouri officials did not want public — an anonymous MU official telling the AP last week that some MU officials might prefer a move to the Big Ten over the SEC even after the Big Ten invited Nebraska last year — caused a rift with certain SEC officials.

MU and SEC officials, however, appear beyond that bump in the road. Current issues in the SEC, according to reports, include Alabama not wanting to give up its traditional football game with Tennessee and not having Auburn gain a recruiting advantage in Georgia and Florida by shifting to the SEC's East Division if Missouri were added to the West.

That next step toward the SEC, if it were to follow the scenario established when Texas A&M embarked on its move from the Big 12 to the SEC, could be Missouri formally notifying the Big 12 of its intention to leave.

 

[Ronnie-]

Yeah, Bama was against it because of the Tenn game that would most likely be lost. Auburn reportedly was for it and wanted to move to the East.
Missouri in the East makes zero sense to me as they would be what, one of the three most western teams in the conference. The only was the map makes sense is if one completely ignores north, south, east, and west. lol

 

[riffjim4069]

The more that comes out, the more it seems that the SEC is holding out, has other plans, or is waiting again for legal reasons.

It's like Missouri is a red-headed step-child...they were rejected by the Big Ten and the SEC doesn't know what to do with them.

 

[whitewolf8214]

missouri is going to the sec and good riddance to the big 12(texas conference).big 12 is done if not they may merge with big east. i hope missouri and i believe they are going to sec and just playing the waiting game

 

[Ronnie-]

The Big 12 has their own fate in their hands. I dont see them going anywhere now. Hell they have two huge programs in OK and TX, and some good programs in OK state, Tech, and now TCU. Thats a BCS conference over what the Big East has been the past few years if they do nothing else.

 

[osu1991]

missouri is going to the sec and good riddance to the big 12(texas conference).big 12 is done if not they may merge with big east. i hope missouri and i believe they are going to sec and just playing the waiting game

You need to check your meds.

The Big 12 is not going anywhere. I expect Louisville and either West Virginia or Cincinnati or both depending on Missouri's decision to join also. I think Neinas' announcement of ten teams for next year takes into consideration Missouri wanting to reduce their exit fees (if they do leave) by giving a years notice and the fact the Big East will try and hold any schools leaving to the same 24 - 27 month notice, they are trying to hold Pitt and Syracuse to.

 

[Derwin0]

Based on the map, should rename the divisions Northeast and Southwest.

If they want to really split it East-West, just move both Alabama & Auburn to the East, and Vandy to the West.
Tennesse & Alabama keep playing each other, and Tennessee & Vandy become non-divisional rivals.
Of course all the East teams would protest as that removes one of their quaranteed wins.

 

[salsadancer7]

Looking at that diagram/picture...there is NOTHING southeast about Missouri, Arkansas, Texas A&M!! But I gotta ge true geography out of my head when it comes to these conferences... They are gonna make sense ONLY to univeristy president's and the money THEY will make.

Hell, at least the MAFIA accepted the fact that they were a dirty enterprise....LOL!

 

[Ronnie-]

Based on the map, should rename the divisions Northeast and Southwest.

If they want to really split it East-West, just move both Alabama & Auburn to the East, and Vandy to the West.
Tennesse & Alabama keep playing each other, and Tennessee & Vandy become non-divisional rivals.
Of course all the East teams would protest as that removes one of their quaranteed wins.

It would create vastly unbalanced divisions as well, and LSU would make it to the SECCG nearly every year doing it that way.