SHOULD MISSOURI MOVE TO THE BIG TEN?
Every day presents an opportunity to editorialize on breaking sports stories and other ideas that have been fermenting in my sullied brain.
While I was busy working in St. Louis, Big Ten Pooh-Bahs announced they are contemplating expansion to twelve teams. Speculation has Missouri as one of the universities that might be considered. In fact, there is an on-line petition asking for fan signatures to that end. A long-time friend, former roommate at Mizzou and a die-hard Tiger fan sent the petition to me, indicating he had signed it. My initial reaction was "no way"; but there may be some sentiment and several reasons to consider such a move.
The Big Ten, of course, is really the Big Eleven: Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Purdue, Ohio State and Penn State.
They need another school to balance the schedule and create an opportunity for a big payday with a conference football championship game. Personally, I do not favor conference championship games in football because it sets another hurdle in the path of a D-I football playoff.
Penn State, which played as an independent for most of its athletic history, joined the Big Ten in 1990. In 1999, the Big Ten courted Notre Dame to become the 12th school; but the Golden Domers, with their NBC television contract and BCS bowl ties, declined. The Irish, still an independent in football, play most of their other varsity sports as members of the Big East. The Big Ten covets the Notre Dame fan base and revenue potential; but Notre Dame, which is in the heart of Big Ten country, doesn't really need the conference alliance.
Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Rutgers are names other than Missouri being bandied about. Joe Paterno, the grandfather of college football, favors those teams which would expand the New York, Philadelphia and Boston television markets. Missouri would open up the TV market in St. Louis and Kansas City.
The University of Missouri's athletic affiliations are tied strongly to the Big 12 by virtue of its long-standing membership in the Big Eight. The Big 12 was born in 1994 when Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech and Texas A&M merged with the Big 8. The conference then split into the North and South divisions, with MU in the North. The Texas schools joined Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to create the southern component of the league.
Since the merger, the state of Texas has imposed ever-increasing influence to exert control over Big 12 championship events. The Big 8's Basketball Tournament in Kansas City is now part of a rotational circuit that has included Dallas in 2003, 2004 and 2006 and Oklahoma City in 2007 and 2009. There is speculation the football championship will find a permanent home in Dallas, the home base for conference offices. "Everything is bigger (and better) in Texas" seems to be the conference's motto these days.
That seems to be the crux of the matter. Missouri perceives itself as a second-class citizen of the Big 12 Conference. That sentiment seems to be a recurring theme of the North Division universities.
What would a move to the Big Ten mean for Mizzou, in the long run? Let's look at some pros and cons.
PROS:
1. Get out from under the thumb of the Texas-favoring conference office.
2. Avoid Texas and Oklahoma teams in conference play.
3. Gain more national exposure for the athletic programs via better TV contracts.
4. Improve athletic department revenue from TV and bowl contracts.
5. Possible inclusion in a Big 10 West division with Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Northwestern or Indiana, a group that compares to the Big 12 North.
6. Expand recruiting for major sports to Chicago and upper Midwest.
CONS;
1. Lose the MU v KU rivalry except perhaps as marquee non-conference games.
2. Lose another traditional rivalry football game with Nebraska (although some would say it's not exactly a rivalry).
3. Lose something of a home court advantage in the Big 12 Tournament when it does come to KC.
4. Create longer (and more costly) travel for MU teams, support groups and fans.
5. Affiliate with a new set of Chicago-based conference officials.
6. Play Michigan and Ohio State every other year, not dissimilar to the Texas/OU scenario MU is in now.
7. Lose the foothold in Texas for football recruiting purposes.
Of course, at this time, everything is pure conjecture; but I feel any invitation to join the Big Ten would come only after several other teams reject the chance to do so. That kind of makes Mizzou the homely wallflower asked as a last resort for a date to the prom. What kind of weight would Missouri have as the baby brother in a different power conference? I doubt it would have more (or less) influence on conference policy than it does now.
. I think the petition drive is a backlash reaction to the third consecutive year the Big 12 bowl selection process shafted Tiger football. The answer isn't to jump ship to the Big 10. The challenge is to work with and within the Big 12 to negotiate a better bowl and television contracts. It's building on recent success to field better teams to compete for conference titles.
If and when Missouri receives an invitation to join the Big Ten, it will have to weigh more factors than are listed here; but, when it comes down to a final decision, the bottom line will be M-O-N-E-Y. It's all about the money. Show me the money. That would certainly be appropriate for the "Show-Me State's" major institution of higher learning.
For now, I think Tiger fans should cool off and give the idea of switching conferences time for long and thoughtful reflection. Losing the Border War games with Kansas tips the scale toward keeping the status quo.
The Real Don Steele
December 16, 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment