mizzoufan1 wrote:
As a Mizzou fan here in CoMO, I can UNEQUIVICALLY (sp?) tell you that when the B1G passed on Mizzou in lieu of Nebraska, that was the final straw. Mizzou no longer longs for the B1G. It's fans and administration are tired of being treated as second class citizens in a league. The SEC has made it known since day 1 that Mizzou is wanted, welcome and an equal among peers. Mizzou would not get that from the snobs over in the B1G. Mizzou would not leave the SEC for the B1G unless it was FORCED to by the SEC.
And i really don't see UK or Vandy leaving right now either. Both are just getting competative in athletics and the academics in the SEC I think will pass that of the B1G in the next 50 years or so...
It is good to see a Mizzou fan weigh-in on this. Your point has merit.
When the B1G had all the drama of expanding a few years back and ultimately selected Nebraska for #12, Delany and other BIG personalities such as Alvarez, indicated they may go 12 or beyond, possibly up to 16. The conference, for that particular expansion, settled on Nebraska, which was in the process of losing the beloved AAU label, and who had been doing silent lobbying and prep for the B1G for years. Mizzou, at the time, openly purused the B1G admission, and got rejected. Remember, then, the SEC was at 12, and there was comparatively less talk of the SEC expanding at that moment. Well, we know what transpired in the B12, with the flurry of activity, almost daily, of what some B12 schools would do, with some of the key components ultimately staying. Timing, opportunity, and certain dissatisfactions, led to the SEC going to 14 with two B12 institutions, Texas A&M and then, Mizzou. Certainly the SEC/Texas A&M courtship had more extended history to it.
When contemplating adding Mizzou, certainly SEC Commish Slive had conversations with Delany about the B1G's interest in Mizzou. The SEC would not want to accept Mizzou and have the B1G pursuing Mizzou at the same time, or anything near-term, defined in years. Likewise, Slive and company, would have proposed the question to Mizzou brass, "if we accept you, are you fully committed, and would you be seeking to return later to the B12, or pursue further the B1G? If the answer was not solid affirmative to both, I do not believe the SEC would have taken the public relations risk with the potential to cause disruption within the SEC. Certain conferences do have their protocol when peer political strength exist, and Delany would know the ramifications about where to pick and choose, even for those who think the B1G can extract from anywhere, if and when they desire. That's not the case, but that's another story.
And, one should not forget, the B1G recently added Maryland and Rutgers. There was no Mizzou for #13 & #14. Can anyone outside the know be 100% sure that there were not conversations about including Mizzou then and were told it's not an option? The comeback would be the B1G wants to build their east coast footprint first. Well, there was a lot of B1G expansion eastward talk when Nebraska got selected, and they didn't go there then.
As to any of Texas, Oklahoma, GT, Virginia, and North Carolina going to the B1G, all that is pure speculation at best. That is not to say there will not be future 16-team leagues and new surprises, and TV revenue is driving decisions. But individual choices are impacted by history, personalities, political ties, reputations, and future projections.
Using the Mizzou to B1G advocates argument in reverse, maybe the SEC should pursue Penn State if that's the game. The B1G has not been such a bed of roses for them.