Conference Realignment

[ness]

Seen on KU's Facebook page: "Missouri forfeits century-old rivalry. We win."

It is a bummer to see one of the greatest rivalries in sports get flushed, regardless of what side you're on. Here in KC there's always a lot of buzz, and you kinda fall in one camp or the other even if you're not a fan of either. I guess that's the end of that. Hope you Mizzou fans get something for this, but I think you'll be the red-headed stepchild down there for at least a decade.

[Justin Spencer]

but I think you'll be the red-headed stepchild down there for at least a decade.

I agree. Being from Kansas and going to school at Pitt State, I have always been a big 8/big 12 fan. Nice being able to root for K-state in football and KU in basketball with no real alligance to either school (division 2 HAS a playoff). Being in Missouri for a while I have come around to rooting for them also (partially in part because I have friends who take me to games), but this makes it hard for me to like them. It will be exciting for a few years seeing them play new schools, but in the long run I think it could hurt recruiting, and the fan base (who isn't the best already) will have a tough time traveling to away games, and why would you want to just to see them lose to Florida. In basketball they should be okay, and I think they are lucky they are in the east division, at least they won't have to play bama, auburn, LSU, and Arkansas every year in football. If the big 12 dissolves in the next decade I guess it was a good move, but with them adding schools it looks like they may be around for awhile, in which case I think Mizzou made a huge mistake that will make them irrelevant in the college sports world.

[stlfisher]

I think Mizzou will be fine in the SEC and I am excited they are making the move. Mizzou has a surprising 20-8 record against SEC teams. They won't challenge Bama, LSU, or Florida anytime soon, but the bottom half of the SEC isn't any better than the bottom half of the Big 12. I think recruting will benefit more than anything and I plan to travel south to watch some games...sounds much better than going to Iowa State or Baylor. KU would have jumped at the chance to go the the SEC if they were invited...hard to blame Mizzou for leaving when they had the chance.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I think it was a big mistake. They've had their troubles in the Big 8 and the Big 12 and it won't change in the SEC. It goes back to good old Dan Devine who was a journeyman coach hoping to beat OK and NB once in awhile. He always lost most of the cream of MO footballers.

The present success is based on recruiting Texas, but that will most likely become a lot harder now because they will no longer get the recruits that want to play Texas teams and they will instead go head to head with AR, A&M, and LSU, all of which play a better schedule.

[stlfisher]

At most Mizzou played two away games in Texas each year with an occasional bowl game. This year it was Baylor and A@M. It sounds like Mizzou will end up in the SEC East and have A@M as there annual rival in the west at a "neutral" site in Texas each year. So really Mizzou only loses one game in Texas. If I am playing and I want to play against the best I go to a team in the SEC....so really I don't think it will hurt recruiting. However, we will need to get more 4 and 5 star type players and not the leftovers after Texas and Oklahoma. Being in the SEC would help in that regard.

The problems with the Big 12 is Texas. 4 teams have left and no other conferance will take them with the longhorn network. Why stick around when you get equality in the SEC, equal revenue sharing, more money, and a league with no buyout to leave because no one wants to leave. OR stick around and let Texas jerk you around like Oklahoma seems willing to do. Have some pride and go for it. I am pumped for next year.

[Justin Spencer]

Here's an excerpt from an article by Ivan Maisel on espn.com.

And now the Tigers, visions of long-term security in their head, are stepping up their level of competition. The Tigers are like the Midwestern executive who takes a job in New York because it pays more. Only when he gets to Manhattan and discovers the price of rent and groceries does he understand that the rise in pay will include a decline in the standard of living.

Missouri's athletic budget in 2009-10 was roughly half of the $105 million that Florida spent. The world will spin a lot faster where the Tigers are going, just as it will for the Texas Aggies.

I really hope the Tigers aren't getting in over their head. They will be fine in all sports but football, and I'm afraid that the gains they have made the last decade in football will be lost, back to just struggling to make a bowl.

If I'm a 4 or 5 star athlete I want to play for the best, not against the best, that will continue to be the trouble for the football team, 2 and 3 star recruits might not beat Kentucky.

[stlfisher]

For me it boils down to the this. When you have your opportunity you take your shot. The SEC is tough, but I rather take my shot and fail than not take it. I would be embarrassed if the administration shyed away because they were intimidated by the competition.

All Texas needs to do is pack up and leave and the big 12 falls apart. It is Texas's conferance and there are not that many spots left in other conferances. Mizzou made the right call as they could have been passed over in the future if Texas or Oklahma (assuming they aren't tied to Okie State) wanted out. Why have your future tied to an instuitition you can't trust. Mizzou wanted stability like Colorado, A@M, and Nebraska and now controls their own fate.

[Justin Spencer]

Looking at the east I really don't think they have entered a tougher conference (had they gone to the west if would be much tougher), basically they are in an 8 team conference with Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina and either A&M or Arkansas (depending on who they get as a permanent opponent)as the tough teams, with Tennessee probably on the way up. Hopefully they can go 3-2 or at least 2-3 with these teams each year and hope for wins over Vandy and Kentucky most years. This leaves them at 5-2 or 4-3 with one game against the west which will always be tough, and a couple non-conference games which they should fill with pansies to get their 6 wins to be bowl eligible. Compare this to the big 12 with wins over KU and ISU most years, losses from Oklahoma and OSU, and toss ups on the others and things look pretty similar to me. Should be fun to see how their style of play matches up to SEC.

I don't blame them for leaving, but think they should have stayed in their region in a conference that looks like has renewed stability. If superconferences ever start developing Mizzou would always have opportunities to join one due to the TV markets in KC and St. Louis. If the Big 12 were to go belly up I think Mizzou could have gone to the Big 10 as it expanded, which would make more sense then going to the SEC.

[stlfisher]

The east is definately the weaker of the two SEC division's and hopefully will allow Mizzou to finish with a respectable record. It would have been nice if the big 12 simply kicked out Texas or just stayed as the orginial Big 8. Texas ruined the old SWC and now the Big 12 IMO. I will miss playing Nebraska each year...that was becoming a pretty good rivalary. I'll will mis playing Kansas in Basketball. However, I think it would benefit both instuitions to play a yearly game in Kansas City like Mizzou does with Illinois in STL. It doesn't sound like KU wants to do that though....would be sweet if they meet in the tourney in a few years. That would be intense!

It will be interesting if we do end up with 16 team conferances...I kinda think that we won't for at least a while...the logistics are a nightmare IMO, but if there is money it may happen. I am very interested to see were Texas, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame eventually end up as they are the top prize. The SEC really wanted Oklahoma and A@M last year, but Oklahoma is tied to Okie State so that killed that deal. In many ways Mizzou should probably thank A@M and Oklahoma because without A@M moving first (making a 14th team a necessity) and without Oklahoma turning down the SEC there is no way the SEC invites only Mizzou as the 13th. I think that is one reason why Mizzou was wise to move now...they will be an ok option to round out numbers, but would never be a team invited first...they would be the back end of a package deal which I think is substantiated by the Big 10 turning them down last year in favor of Nebraska.

IF only we could somehow get that playoff...

[Justin Spencer]

IF only we could somehow get that playoff...

That's why I'm a division II man. Go GORILLAS!!!!