09-01-2011, 01:58 PM
Missouri has not been invited to the SEC party -- of course, neither has A&M. The letter sent to Dan Beebe yesterday simply informed the Big 12 Conference (as per formal procedure) that A&M "will submit an application to join another athletic conference" and IF the application is accepted the Aggies will leave the Big 12 next July.
After Mizzou's embarrassing rejection from the Big 10 talk last year, I imagine everyone is playing their cards closer to their vests this year. The MU chancellor is chairman of the board at the Big 12 (but he lies a lot, so I don't believe much of what he says).
Schools on the Big 12 wish list are:
BYU
Pittsburgh
SMU
Arkansas
Notre Dame
Problems with all of them -- BYU just signed an eight-year TV deal with ESPN as an independent and issued a neutral statement that indicates neither interest nor dismissal of the Big 12. The football coach says he's happy where the school is right now.
Pittsburgh is too far away from the rest of the conference schools.
SMU would get more out of the conference alignment than the conference would.
Arkansas is not likely to leave the money of the SEC for an unstable Big 12.
Notre Dame is even more unlikely to give up its independent status in football & isn't it in the Big East for other sports?
There's talk of yanking TCU away before it begins Big East play, but the Horned Frogs are weak in sports other than football (ditto for SMU).
After Mizzou's embarrassing rejection from the Big 10 talk last year, I imagine everyone is playing their cards closer to their vests this year. The MU chancellor is chairman of the board at the Big 12 (but he lies a lot, so I don't believe much of what he says).
Schools on the Big 12 wish list are:
BYU
Pittsburgh
SMU
Arkansas
Notre Dame
Problems with all of them -- BYU just signed an eight-year TV deal with ESPN as an independent and issued a neutral statement that indicates neither interest nor dismissal of the Big 12. The football coach says he's happy where the school is right now.
Pittsburgh is too far away from the rest of the conference schools.
SMU would get more out of the conference alignment than the conference would.
Arkansas is not likely to leave the money of the SEC for an unstable Big 12.
Notre Dame is even more unlikely to give up its independent status in football & isn't it in the Big East for other sports?
There's talk of yanking TCU away before it begins Big East play, but the Horned Frogs are weak in sports other than football (ditto for SMU).
"To the press alone, checkered as it is with abuses, the world is indebted for all the triumphs which have been gained by reason and humanity over error and oppression." ~ James Madison