Missouri Tigers Should Let Big 12 Die

University of Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton should do everything possible to find an avenue from which to exit the Big 12.

The University of Missouri Board of Curators unanimously voted Tuesday to grant Deaton the power to explore conference alignment options. Deaton should use that power to do everything possible to lead his school to a conference with a more stable long-term future.

No matter how comfortable the flight was, passengers on the Hindenburg eventually started scrambling to find parachutes once the airship went up in flames. Deaton undoubtedly needs to find the Tigers a parachute as quickly as possible before the Big 12 is swallowed by flames of a burnt orange hue.

The Big 12's imminent collapse can be traced directly to the University of Texas' brief summer flirtation with the Pac-10 (soon to be named the Pac-12) after Colorado and Nebraska both agreed to leave the Big 12 last year. In order to woo Texas into staying in the conference, the Big 12 allowed Texas to keep the rights to operate its own local television station.

Acquiescing to Texas' television demands was intended as a panacea for the Big 12's woes, but the cure was short-lived. Texas' television rights delivered a kiss of death to the conference in January, when the university reached a 20-year deal with ESPN to launch a 24-hour, year-round television network of UT sports coverage.

The monolithic presence of the Longhorn Network opened Pandora's Box, and all hell broke loose in the conference as the start of college football season approached. Texas A&M entered a bizarre courtship with the SEC that ended in the Aggies' exodus from the Big 12.

With the Big 12 reduced to nine teams, the Pac-10 attempted to lure Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State to officially create college sports' first 16-team super-conference. The deal fell apart quickly, with the Pac-12 announcing it was no longer planning on expanding.

All eyes then fell on the University of Missouri and the possibility of the Tigers becoming the SEC's 14th team. At a September 22 press conference, Deaton announced the University was not leaving the Big 12, but was reluctant to offer any long-term commitment to the conference.

"Our primary responsibility is to our home institution," Deaton said. "The University of Missouri is going to continue to work with what is best for the University of Missouri."

Deaton was meticulously careful throughout the press conference to avoid expressing any explicit commitment to the Big 12. The unspoken message was that Missouri is staying with the Big 12, but only until a better opportunity arises.

The outcome of Tuesday's board of curators meeting makes Missouri's departure even more likely. Deaton resigned as the chairman of the Big 12's board of directors Tuesday to avoid a potential conflict of interest. Missouri is poised to deal a deathblow to the Big 12, and the conference deserves it.

The Big 12 bent over backwards to keep Texas last summer, and in doing so alienated the rest of the conference by allowing conditions that led to the Longhorn Network's creation. Fear of the Longhorn Network creating a recruiting and revenue advantage for Texas spurred Texas A&M to defect to the SEC, and Missouri is in position to follow A&M out of the Big 12.

From a football standpoint, Missouri wouldn't be as bad of a fit in the SEC as fans and analysts seem to think. The Tigers' run defense is stellar but the secondary struggles to contain Big 12 spread attacks. Missouri's defense would be better suited for playing in the SEC, where running is more of a priority and passing doesn't feature as many four- and five-wide formations.

On offense, coordinator David Yost would have to change some aspects of the playbook, especially when he got near the goal line. However, the emergence of running back Henry Josey and the running skills of quarterback James Franklin will make such an offensive transition very smooth. The Tigers would play much tougher opponents than normal, but would remain competitive.

In terms of basketball, Missouri would also easily survive a transition to the SEC. The level of competition in basketball in the SEC is nowhere near as tough as it is in the Big 12, and even the Tigers, who have faced turmoil in the basketball offseason, could easily compete for a SEC title.

Missouri could move to the SEC and remain competitive in both major revenue-producing sports. The Tigers don't need to fear being crushed if they leave the Big 12.

For a conference with a future currently contingent on Missouri's membership, the Big 12 hasn't placed anywhere near as much of a priority on keeping Missouri as it did Texas last year.

Columbia Daily Tribune reporter Dave Matter reported Tuesday the University of Missouri's Homecoming game against Iowa State will not be televised. The Big 12 offered to broadcast the game at either 11 a.m. or 6 p.m. on Fox College Sports, but Missouri declined in favor of starting at the traditional 1 p.m. start time, according to Matter.

The Big 12's inability to find room for Missouri's Homecoming game on the national Fox Sports Net instead of the regional Fox College Sports is inexplicable. The University of Missouri created the tradition of Homecoming, and is celebrating its 100th-ever Homecoming this year.

At such a sensitive time when Missouri holds the key to the entire Big 12's future, a conference that valued Missouri's membership would have done everything possible to accommodate such an enormous part of the school's history.

Interim Big 12 Commissioner Chuck Neinas has said the Big 12 wants to keep Missouri, but actions speak louder than words. If the Big 12 cannot even be bothered to televise the 100th anniversary of Missouri's first Homecoming, the conference doesn't want the Tigers' membership badly enough for Missouri to justify staying despite the turmoil.

The Big 12's failure to televise the 100th anniversary of Missouri's first Homecoming is exactly what Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel called the entire Big 12 realignment situation: embarrassing.

To stay in the Big 12 is to submit to embarrassment by association with a conference that cannot get its affairs in order. Deaton knows his school is better than that. It is time for Missouri to find a new conference.

 

Follow Hank Koebler on Twitter: www.twitter.com/HankKoebler

Comments

[Shea Sheamus Davis]

01:17 PM on 10/05/2011

Death Blow lol i am a missouri fan and the big 12really wont be hurting to much if we leave. I can see the sec saying sorry we dont want you the same goes for the big 10. i wouldnt be surprised if the big 12 slams the doors on us lol hello big east or whats left of it after tcu west virgina and louisville go to the big 12

[MrWinky]

04:10 PM on 10/06/2011

Well said and very honest.

[Gray Grantham]

12:58 PM on 10/05/2011

It is amazing to me the number of people in positions of power in the Big 12 (Presidents) who continue to act like spineless cowards who have no choice but to do UT's bidding. The Big 12 with its BCS AQ, Fiesta Bowl Contract and Non-BCS Bowl contracts is far more powerful economically than UT. The Big 12 needs to vote UT out of the Conference and move on. Failing that the Big 12 will continue to die a slow death even if all remaining schools are wreckless enough to sign a grant of T1 & T2 broadcast revenue rights over to the conference. That will only make the inevitable divorce that much more messy when the dwarfs decide having UT as a member is no longer acceptable but because of the grants, the only way out is to disband the conference,

[MrWinky]

04:01 PM on 10/06/2011

It's amazing b/c it's wrong. UT has one vote, just like every other school in the conference. If you are "bullied" by an institution that has the same number of votes you do, then that says more about you than it. UT's power comes mainly from the fact that the South Division usually votes together on most issues, not from it having any certain number of votes. Don't believe the hype, unequal revenue sharing was agreed to by everyone, including Nebraska, A&M, OU, Colorado and UT, as they all thought they were going to be the ones to cash in on it. It is all based on television appearances, and all those teams were better than UT and OU when the Big 12 was formed. They just all picked a bad time to have the bottom fall out of their football programs.

UT is the most profitable college sports program by far, largest fanbase and commands the top 3 television markets in the conference. Everyone made more money b/c UT was in it, not less.

[bandit6765]

11:50 AM on 10/05/2011

As a Arkansas fan(who can spell) I would love for Missouri to join the SEC West, it would be an instant rivalry in footbal and especially basketball(Mike Anderson).

[DaRodabaugh]

01:43 PM on 10/05/2011

I wholeheartedly agree. I'm so sick of this Big 12 drama.

[MrWinky]

04:11 PM on 10/06/2011

I agree, it's becoming wearisome.

[jdl1pt]

11:28 AM on 10/05/2011

Wow, very nice write up of the current situation. This pretty much nails it on the head from a MU standpoint.

I for one think my Alma mater will holds it's own in SEC football, and will be better in the future because of the move. MU has done a lot with very little revenue over the years, compared with the likes of TX. It's exciting the think of what could happen with greater revenue streams, and in roads into recruiting in the south.

[MrWinky]

04:07 PM on 10/06/2011

The SEC currently pays out $17million a school. The Big12, when starting their new television contract next year and with equal revenue sharing will pay out about $20 million a school. Now, obviously, the SEC can go back and renegotiate their contract with their tv guys in that they have added 2 new teams and 2 new television markets, but you would have to increase it by $76 million just to break even with what Mizzou would have made in the Big 12, and that's AFTER paying a $15 million to $20 million buyout to the Big12. (2 new teams x $17 million + an extra $3 million per team x 14 teams) So the "payday" though most likely larger, isn't going to be what you think it is.

[Texas Lawman]

11:25 AM on 10/05/2011

At least two collegiate homecoming celebrations predate the University of Missouri football game homecoming event. Baylor University has a homecoming history that dates back to 1909 including what is considered to be the first collegiate homecoming including a parade, reunion parties and an afternoon football game (the final game of the 1909 season), a tradition that continued and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2009.

The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign first held a homecoming event in 1910, celebrating the 100th anniversary in 2010

[nb]

12:33 PM on 10/05/2011

funny that we don't hear more argument coming out of illinois or Baylor.

fortunately, texas can attack the minutiae of this article because the meat is unmistakably accurate.

MIZ-SEC

[DaRodabaugh]

01:41 PM on 10/05/2011

True, Baylor had a homecoming in 1909, but it had no homecoming event from 1910 to 1915. IMO, that doesn't give them the right to lay claim to a "tradition" when it wasn't held again for six more seasons. University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign held one in 1910 and has an actual claim on tradition that most Mizzou fans are aware of, though at this point everything's pretty much rhetoric. Mizzou's homecoming is unlike any other, though, which is why we boast about it so much. Regardless, the Big 12 is fully aware of how seriously Mizzou students/athletes/alums and their families take our homecoming tradition and thus should have made an actual effort to support one of our institution's most celebrated events rather than just writing us off (again). The idea behind this article is spot on. Undervalue (both literally and ideologically) our athletic teams, our academic programs and our fanbase, and we'll move on. Others in our conference question our ability to succeed outside of the Big 12, but that just goes to show how screwed up this conference situation is.

[vibrolux]

03:03 PM on 10/05/2011

http://www.active.com/football/Articles/The_History_of_Homecoming.htm

Hey, if Jeopardy! says its the truth, that's good enough for me.