The SEC needs Missouri more for image than for football
Former Mizzou man Sean Weatherspoon, now a Falcon. (AP photo)
Missouri’s curators voted Tuesday to ponder the school’s Big 12 exit. Put simply, Missouri’s curators voted — unanimously, FYI — to bail on the Big 12. At issue now is what the school would bring to its new home, which is apt to be the SEC.
Here were pause to note that some folks see Missouri as a better fit in the Big Ten — the Tigers already have a heated basketball rivalry with Illinois — but the Big Ten hasn’t been overt in its ardor to expand. The Big Ten might be happy as is. The SEC needs a 14th member to offset Texas A&M.
The SEC also needs Missouri for another reason: This whole round of conference-hopping has given big-time college sports the look of me-first-and-everybody-else-last Wall Street, and that’s not the look you want in the year 2011. (It’s reality, but it’s still an unseemly image for institutions of supposed higher learning.) Missouri plays pretty good football and good basketball, but that’s not its greatest lure for the SEC.
Missouri is a state school in a state — heck, a region — where the SEC doesn’t have an outpost, and it would also deliver the St. Louis and the Kansas City television markets. (That’s an upgrade over A&M, which delivers the less-prestigious College Station market.) Those are nice things to have, but they’re not essential. Of greater importance: The SEC views Missouri as another vehicle in its quest to spruce up its academic image, which could use sprucing.
If it adds Missouri, the SEC will count four schools among the high-minded Association of American Universities. That’s double from a month ago. Texas A&M is an AAU member, and so are Florida and Vanderbilt. Both the Aggies and the Tigers play good enough football that they won’t sully the SEC’s brand, and the SEC doesn’t need an Oklahoma or a Texas to burnish its standing as the best football league. (Check the latest Associated Press poll: SEC teams are ranked first, second, 10th, 15th, 17th and 18th.)
The SEC has been measured in its approach to School No. 14. It didn’t fall over itself when Texas and Oklahoma were making eyes at the Pac-12. It didn’t so much pursue Texas A&M as it allowed itself to be pursued. Adding a 13th member just sort of happened. Adding a 14th will be a considered choice.
Adding Missouri would do more for the SEC’s image off the field than on, and that’s a consideration a lot of us missed when this whole round of choosing-up got going. The SEC is often regarded as the root of all collegiate evil, but this is one time when the league ruled by football is trying not to act as if football is the only thing that matters.
By landing Syracuse and Pittsburgh, the ACC all but destroyed the Big East. The SEC doesn’t need to destroy anything to ensure its survival; it’s the biggest conference today, and it’ll be the biggest 20 years from now. Mike Slive, the SEC’s commissioner, didn’t always carry water for King Football. He was the AD at Cornell and assistant AD at Dartmouth; he was also commissioner of the Great Midwest and Conference USA.
Slive is 71. He’s at an age where thoughts of legacy loom largest. (Indeed, at the SEC Media Days in Birmingham this summer the hot rumor, quickly refuted, was that Slive would announce his retirement.) He has presided over a decade of massive SEC growth, and now he wants to make sure that growth won’t be regarded, in the cold eye of history, as rampant pillaging.
When Mike Slive leaves this conference, he wants to be able to say, “We tried to do it the right way.” Others will quibble over the definition of “right,” but if the SEC pairs Missouri with Texas A&M it will be harder to make the case that the biggest league was utterly craven in its desires. Those are two good schools. They’ll broaden the base without rendering the league top-heavy. They’ll make the SEC not just bigger but better.
And that’s the key. As fascinating as the notion of the SEC with Texas and/or Oklahoma would have been, it would also have given rise to the charge of overkill. At some point the best league has to realize, “We’re good enough.” Slive and his associates have come to that quiet conclusion. If Missouri is indeed No. 14, the SEC will have done something the SEC doesn’t often do: It will have made a subtle splash.
By Mark Bradley
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506 comments Add your comment
chase
October 5th, 2011
10:20 am
Why is this so hard for people to understand?
If MIZZOU comes in to the SEC…it will be the WEST…THEN you cannot move 2 teams out of the West like Auburn and Alabama to bring 2 teams into the West because then you’ll have 8 in the East and 6 in the West
You cannot have a “loaded division” etiher
So you can’t move Vandy to the West and have an East with
Georgia, Florida, Bama, Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina
Thats WAAAAYYYY to unbalanced!
So there are 1 or 2 things that can happen
‘Most likely – Mizzou and A&M go to the West and Auburn moves to the East
Option 2- Mizzou comes in and is mis-placed geographically in the East in order to preserve all rivalries as-is
Option 3 -the most likely option above happens and you re-assing UGA with a new permenant West oppenent (It wass Ole Miss until a few years ago so it could be again) since Auburn is in the East now
all other Rivalries are maintained as the permenant oppenant from the West (Bama/UT, Fla/LSU) and you only get ONE ROTATING oppenent! MARK MY WORDS, the SEC WILL NOT GO TO an 9th Conference Game!!!!!!!
comments???
Atlanta Gator
October 5th, 2011
10:21 am
“When was the last time you sat around with some guys dogging conferences because of their academics.”
Apparently you haven’t spent much time on the AJC sports blogs. Certain SEC schools get gigged for their relative academic standing all the time.
Frank Lane
October 5th, 2011
10:21 am
Mark, UT at Austin is a spectacular school academically, putting Missouri and A&M to shame.
chase
October 5th, 2011
10:21 am
By the way…Academically, it is HARDER to get into UGA now than Tech
Thomas Brown
October 5th, 2011
10:22 am
Mizzou is # 90 US News and World Report Ranking as a national university, NOT this junk you write that AAU only has a handful of members and Mizzou is 1 of the very top national universities as a result of being AAU. The Big Ten had 11 teams for all these years; there is no reason why The SEC has to have an even number of 14 or 16. Or, 12 by kicking out Vandie. I thought you said The SEC got 25 million people of Texas on TV; now, you take that all back ? And, offer up instead a trip of two days, 14 hours to Mizzou for 21 UGA sports to compete against. I believe you want all the colleges to change their affiliation. And, the ACC will NEVER sustain itself – spread out – following your rules. Mark it down.
DC
October 5th, 2011
10:22 am
As an AU fan I have no problem going to the East…so much easier schedule…every other year AU has to go away for LSU bama arky and UGA
chase
October 5th, 2011
10:22 am
Why is this so hard for people to understand?
If MIZZOU comes in to the SEC…it will be the WEST…THEN you cannot move 2 teams out of the West like Auburn and Alabama to bring 2 teams into the West because then you’ll have 8 in the East and 6 in the West
You cannot have a “loaded division” etiher
So you can’t move Vandy to the West and have an East with
Georgia, Florida, Bama, Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina
Thats WAAAAYYYY to unbalanced!
So there are 1 or 2 things that can happen
‘Most likely – Mizzou and A&M go to the West and Auburn moves to the East
Option 2- Mizzou comes in and is mis-placed geographically in the East in order to preserve all rivalries as-is
Option 3 -the most likely option above happens and you re-assing UGA with a new permenant West oppenent (It wass Ole Miss until a few years ago so it could be again) since Auburn is in the East now
all other Rivalries are maintained as the permenant oppenant from the West (Bama/UT, Fla/LSU) and you only get ONE ROTATING oppenent! MARK MY WORDS, the SEC WILL NOT GO TO an 9th Conference Game!!!!!!!
comments???
what ya think?
Atlanta Gator
October 5th, 2011
10:23 am
“Mark, UT at Austin is a spectacular school academically, putting Missouri and A&M to shame.”
Actually, Texas and Texas A&M are pretty darn comparable when measured objectively on undergraduate academics and research. And Missouri is no damn slouch, either.
chase
October 5th, 2011
10:23 am
Would still rather have Clemson or Florida State in the SEC
duronimo
October 5th, 2011
10:24 am
I believe North Carolina would be the best addition. It borders SC and TN and is close enough to be involved in the region’s rivalries. Take a look at a map. It’s also located in the Southeast. I would imagine the TV market there is the equal of St. Louis.
duronimo
October 5th, 2011
10:26 am
I believe North Carolina is the best option. They border SC & TN and are close enough to become part of the region’s rivalries. NC is a large state with a large TV audience and it’s in the Southeast.
Gregg T
October 5th, 2011
10:29 am
Do the math folks. If 2 are added, and they are both on the “west” side of the conference, you only need to move one to the east for balance. It’s a 3rd grade math problem. Sheesh.
DawgSig
October 5th, 2011
10:30 am
Forget Missouri! Go after a North Carolina school … NC State would be a perfect fit.
Jack
October 5th, 2011
10:30 am
Hey Mark
If the SEC does accept Missouri. Wouldn’t that mean that geographically Texas A&M and Missouri would be in Western bracket. Meaning two teams from the west would have to move to the eastern bracket for balance. Then Alabama and Auburn would be your two teams that would be geographically the most eastern. And I know that UGA does not want to be in the same bracket as Alabama. But why should I care, because I’m a die-hard TECH fan.
Delbert D.
October 5th, 2011
10:31 am
“Adding Missouri would do more for the SEC’s image off the field than on, and that’s a consideration a lot of us missed when this whole round of choosing-up got going. ”
A lot of us didn’t miss that, Mark. Your blogs have had a lot of posts about the AAU in the past weeks, and also Missouri. Like some of the other posters today have mentioned, Texas A&M is well-positioned near Houston to capture that TV market with their competition within the SEC.
LSUTigerinATL
October 5th, 2011
10:32 am
I would rather see Florida State or Clemson before Mizu.
Gordon
October 5th, 2011
10:33 am
chase,
If the SEC stays at 8 conference games, you would only see non-divisional opponents (other than your permanent opponent) once every 12 years in your own stadium. Wouldn’t you want to see teams like Alabama and LSU more often than that?
????????
October 5th, 2011
10:34 am
I hear Washington State is looking at joining the SEC. Personally, I think North Dakota would be a better fit. Hey! Here’s a concept. How about we reserve places in the SEC to (gasp!) teams in the southeastern US? How many fans are going to travel from Columbia to College Station for an “SEC” match-up? This is getting ridiculous.
Delbert D.
October 5th, 2011
10:35 am
@Jack “Wouldn’t that mean that geographically Texas A&M and Missouri would be in Western bracket. Meaning two teams from the west would have to move to the eastern bracket for balance.”
Redo the math. Right now with Texas A&M coming to the West, that’s 7 teams there. Adding Mizzou makes it 8 in the west. Slide 1 team over to the East, and you have 7 in each division.
buckhead benny
October 5th, 2011
10:36 am
Mark,
Your an idiot- They don’t just deliver College Station as a market- they deliver 3 A level markets in Houston which is an hour away and Dallas, and San Antonio-
You really think Kansas City and St. Louis can Touch 2 of the largest cities in the country Houston and Dallas? which by the way are much larger than Atlanta both of them- and San Antonio gives both of those markets St. Louis and Kansas City a run for their money.
Its like saying for UGA it brings the less prestigious Athens tv market to the plate….. Well we all know where Athens is situated closer to right?
Delbert D.
October 5th, 2011
10:37 am
Gordon – I think the SEC would have to go to 9 conference games. The Big Ten and PAC-10 did that for years.
Lenny
October 5th, 2011
10:38 am
Atlanta Gator I agree with you and it’s obvious you have been following this story over the past year as have I. I think Missouri is such a solid choice for 14 that the scheduling problems can be overcome. I know most Auburn fans are giddy at the prospect of moving to the East and getting back the rivalries with Tennessee and especially Florida. Another concern I had about Auburn playing in the East is that potentially the Auburn/Alabama game could be repeated in the SEC Champiionship Game. That rivalry has taken on such a menacing aura I don’t think the state could repeat that battle twice in a year. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds, but I am pulling for Mizzou. I agree with you about FSU too. I can’t envision them being too happy years down the road playing in such a basketball-centric, NC controlled conference. They need to speak up, or forever, I think hold their peace and be content to stay in the ACC.
Commissioner Mike Slive
October 5th, 2011
10:40 am
Before it’s over UT-Austin and Oklahoma or Oklahoma State will be in the SEC.
Gordon
October 5th, 2011
10:41 am
Delbert D,
I agree about 9 teams. Since UGA always plays Tech (same for UF/FSU and USC/Clemson), some teams will only have 2 “open” slots. That’s a plus for UGA, because McGarity was going to fill all of the open slots with cupcakes, but now he will only have 2 instead of 3 to do that.
NOT in the AAU
October 5th, 2011
10:43 am
Dartmoth, Notre Dame, UGA, NC State, Pepperdine, Boston College, Wake Forest, UAL, UT
Gordon
October 5th, 2011
10:44 am
I think FSU will stay in the ACC because they will have a much easier path to the BCS. Also, the ACC could end up adding ND and/or PSU as their 15th and 16th teams.
IN the AAU
October 5th, 2011
10:45 am
Iowa State, Buffalo, Michigan State..
I mean c’mon – would love for a few more SEC schools to be in because they deserve it, but should not be making conference affiliation decisions based on it.
Many great universities in the SEC…and a few, ahem, “emerging” ones.
QUAGMIRE
October 5th, 2011
10:45 am
How about get rid of ole miss and georgia. bring in florida state, west virginia, texas and miami. I will start watching college football then!!!!!how about those mutts!!!!
Jack
October 5th, 2011
10:46 am
@Jack “Wouldn’t that mean that geographically Texas A&M and Missouri would be in Western bracket. Meaning two teams from the west would have to move to the eastern bracket for balance.”
Redo the math. Right now with Texas A&M coming to the West, that’s 7 teams there. Adding Mizzou makes it 8 in the west. Slide 1 team over to the East, and you have 7 in each division.
Delbert D
I stand to be corrected. Thanks, my major was not in math. But, still you would think it would be between Auburn or Alabama that would have to move to the eastern bracket.
GIVE ME A BREAK
October 5th, 2011
10:46 am
GEORGIA TECH left the almighty SEC for good reason. Bobby Dodd would turn over in his grave if GT went back, which they would never do. GT has 5 SEC championships, nothing left to prove.
LawDawg
October 5th, 2011
10:48 am
Good lord. Mark, your regular commenters are among the stupidest, most naive people on the planet.
1) Everything here is about money. It does not matter if you like the idea of expanding the footprint or you want so-and-so team. It is about everyone making more money and all the current teams being happy. No one wants to add a Top-5 powerhouse because it makes it harder to win the conference, and no college president or AD cares about geographic continuity, they care about their stake in the SEC Network.
2) 12+2=14. 14 / 2 = 7 7-6=1 1 is the number of teams that need to be moved East and AUB is the western team that is farthest east. The only problem is that moving Alabama or Auburn, but not both, screws up the east-west handcuff since BAMA would have both UT and AUB if AUB moved and AUB would have both UGA and BAMA if BAMA moved, so either AUB is moving or both will move east and Vandy or UK will go west. Or, they could just throw Mizzou in the east and make TAM-UM the handcuff game. These are the only possibilities.
GaDawginTX
October 5th, 2011
10:48 am
You obviously know nothing about Texas. With UGA in the SEC do you think that means UGA only beings the Athens TV market? I think not, you get Atlanta as well. Same thing with AM, yes it is in College Station, but like Athens it is a college town, you also get Houston and to a lesser extent Dallas TV markets. Also, the SEC doesn’t need Missouri and is not a good fit for the conference.
Kind of embarrassing
October 5th, 2011
10:48 am
When you have to add the 90th best (academically) school in the country to improve your academic image, you know you’re doing something right! SEC!SEC!SEC!UNEMPLOYED!
HeyJack
October 5th, 2011
10:51 am
You only have to move one team.. There are 12 teams now, 6 in each division, you add two teams say in the west, 8 vs 6, to balance you just have to move 1 team 7 vs 7. Great math work from a bee! You should be proud,
falcon fred
October 5th, 2011
10:52 am
dump ole miss, miss state, georgia…add fsu, clemson, notre dame, wvu and missouri…addition by subtraction…georgia has no business in the sec…contribute little to the bottom line come bowl season; ignorant redneck fanbase; no tradition…problem solved…
Missouri Chooses To Explore Their Options.
October 5th, 2011
10:52 am
[...] The SEC needs Missouri more for image than for football Missouri plays pretty good football and good basketball, but that’s not its greatest lure for the SEC. Missouri is a state school in a state — heck, a region — where the SEC doesn’t have an outpost, and it would also deliver the St. Louis and the Kansas City television markets. (That’s an upgrade over A&M, which delivers the less-prestigious College Station market.) Those are nice things to have, but they’re not essential. Of greater importance: The SEC views Missouri as another vehicle in its quest to spruce up its academic image, which could use sprucing. If it adds Missouri, the SEC will count four schools among the high-minded Association of American Universities. That’s double from a month ago. Texas A&M is an AAU member, and so are Florida and Vanderbilt. Both the Aggies and the Tigers play good enough football that they won’t sully the SEC’s brand, and the SEC doesn’t need an Oklahoma or a Texas to burnish its standing as the best football league. (Check the latest Associated Press poll: SEC teams are ranked first, second, 10th, 15th, 17th and 18th.) The SEC needs Missouri more for image than for football | Mark Bradley [...]
Atlanta Gator
October 5th, 2011
10:54 am
“Before it’s over UT-Austin and Oklahoma or Oklahoma State will be in the SEC.”
Could happen, but it’s not terribly likely. Oklahoma would want to bring little brother Oklahoma State along as a package deal, and Texas does not appear to be inclined to give up its new favorite toy, the Longhorn Network. I used to think Texas would be a great addition to the SEC, and it almost happened in 1991. Given Texas’ conference-killing behavior over the last 20 years, however, I now believe we need that kind of attitude in the SEC. The SEC works because all members have an equal say and all members get an equal share. There is no exit fee.
GeoffDawg
October 5th, 2011
10:54 am
Think somebody already mentioned this but even if you lost UT-Bama regularly, you get back the old classic rivalry of Auburn-UF that was lost in ’91.
DawgFan
October 5th, 2011
10:55 am
Yes, it is simple math to say if you have 8 teams in the West and 6 teams in the East then just move one from the west to the east, but to take the “simple math’ approach seems to ignore rivalry games and permanent opponents. The outcome may be simply moving Auburn to the East, but you could see the SEC take this as a chance to “reboot” the conference rivalries but leaving each team with their current cross-division rival and a new rival as well.
Obviously UGA and AUB will have to pick up new cross-division foes. Someone said earlier it might be a chance for UGA and Ole Miss to renew an old rivalry. Personally I’d love to see UGA get one of the two new schools. I like tradition but after a while tradition gets old.
Atlanta Gator
October 5th, 2011
10:55 am
“dump ole miss, miss state, georgia…add fsu, clemson, notre dame, wvu and missouri…addition by subtraction…”
For goodness’ sake, Fred, if you can’t say anything intelligent, don’t open your mouth.
falcon fred
October 5th, 2011
10:58 am
take your own advice, atlanta gator
Dontavius Supremo
October 5th, 2011
10:58 am
Don’t really see a downside, but MO is going to struggle with multiple SEC games, at least for a while. If the SEC needs to “even” it’s numbers, why not suggest that Vandy leave?
falcon fred
October 5th, 2011
10:59 am
i’m for expansion as long as the dawgs don’t have to give up the rivalry game with coastal carolina…
Lowcountry Bulldawg
October 5th, 2011
11:00 am
I for one am not excited about adding Mizzou. They may bring the St.Louis and KC market, but if you are into SEC football then the only thing Mizzou is famous for is the shot of Chase Daniels eating his booger on the sidelines….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEW8_KVhDFE
Browncoat
October 5th, 2011
11:00 am
I find it amusing that people think that West Virginia is a better fit for the SEC geographically. Morgantown is not far from Pittsburg, LOL.
What's wrong with 90th?
October 5th, 2011
11:00 am
If you take out the Ivy League and the acadmically elite schools that do not play footbal (Emory, Wash U, Case Western, Chicago, Tulane – kidding on the last one) then the 90th ranked academic school that plays football is actually in the upper tier. Why slam MO or the SEC on academics?
GeoffDawg
October 5th, 2011
11:02 am
Fred, I’m no fan of Gator fans but he’s right, you’re an idiot and add nothing to this conversation.
bad moon
October 5th, 2011
11:02 am
BOY !!!!I can’t wait to make the road trip to Missouri. They are so exciting and bring all that winning tradition to the conference.
What the hell? Are we trying to find somebody Ole Miss and Vandy can beat?
TheItalianDawg
October 5th, 2011
11:03 am
can anyone please tell me how Georgia is not an AAU member and it is the oldest public school in the United States? and I just checked the ranking and it is ranked higher than Missouri and Texas A&M
Impact on Atlanta
October 5th, 2011
11:04 am
With TA&M and UMo coming on board, I would expect that there will be a need to move the SEC Football Championship game every so often to Dallas, Houston or NO. Too bad, Atlanta is a great host for that game.