TIME TO FREAK OUT AGAIN ABOUT CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT! THE BIG 12 IS DEAD! MAYBE!

[kcmetro]

"Muck Fizzou" ring a bell?

MU fans purposely destroy their own chant just to degrade KU.  You'll never see KU fans do that to the Rock Chalk chant.  We have a little more class than that.

[MoMan]

MU fans purposely destroy their own chant just to degrade KU.  You'll never see KU fans do that to the Rock Chalk chant.  We have a little more class than that.

Lighten up, Francis. 

Whether they're "purposely destroying their own chant just to degrade" the opponent, or shamelessly flaunting their lack of self-respect by sporting tasteless shirts "just to degrade" the opponent, neither fan base behaves with a lot of class when it comes to their rivals.

To believe otherwise is delusional.

[knucklehead]

The MU / KU rivarly is more important to KU fans than MU fans.

The KC side of Missouri only has about 35 percent of the state's population. A huge percentage of the population of Kansas lives within 80 miles of the Missouri state line.

The MU/KU rivarly is big in this area, not so big on the east side of Missouri.

[MoMan]

According to a Forbes magazine ranking of public universities, Mizzou is ranked 13th-best in the U.S.:

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0519/030_4.html

In the Big Ten, only Michigan ranks higher in this poll.  Texas and Texas A&M are the sole Big XII schools ranked above MU.  Academically and athletically, Mizzou is an enviable match for the Big Ten.

The same Forbes rankings, by the way, are cited on the official website of the University of Kansas to tout KU's academic distinction.  The magazine ranks KU well below MU.

[bbqboy]

According to a Forbes magazine ranking of public universities, Mizzou is ranked 13th-best in the U.S.:

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0519/030_4.html

In the Big Ten, only Michigan ranks higher in this poll.  Texas and Texas A&M are the sole Big XII schools ranked above MU.  Academically and athletically, Mizzou is an enviable match for the Big Ten.

The same Forbes rankings, by the way, are cited on the official website of the University of Kansas to tout KU's academic distinction.  The magazine ranks KU well below MU.

The best thing would be for Missouri to go to the big 10 and associate itself with a dying part of the country. Colorado State, BYU, Utah, New Mexico,TCU,  all await in Growing parts of the country.

[MoMan]

The best thing would be for Missouri to go to the big 10 and associate itself with a dying part of the country. Colorado State, BYU, Utah, New Mexico,TCU,  all await in Growing parts of the country.

Yes, those growing parts of the country sure produce intellectually powerful universities and culturally progressive environments.  How demeaning it would be to associate with loser schools like Northwestern and Michigan in a dying part of the country.

And for Mizzou sports fans, a move to the dying Big 10 would mean enduring road trips to the corpse-like cities of Minneapolis and Madison and Chicago instead of enjoying the splendors of Stillwater, Waco, and Lubbock.  Oh, the horror... 

[ComandanteCero]

According to a Forbes magazine ranking of public universities, Mizzou is ranked 13th-best in the U.S.:

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0519/030_4.html

that's a weird list.  Southern Methodist University (?) is ranked above Cornell, Duke, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Berkeley, Washington U... 

the selection criteria is a bit shaky...

Our measures begin with student evaluations posted on Ratemyprofessors.com, a nine-year-old site with 6.8 million student-generated evaluations[Shaky]. We look at college graduation rates (as does U.S. News)[OK]. We also calculate the percent of students winning awards like Rhodes Scholarships and undergraduate Fulbright travel grants[OK]. For vocational success we turn to Who's Who in America[Shaky]. Though imperfect, it is the only comprehensive listing of professional achievement that includes undergraduate affiliations. (Our complete listing of more than 200 schools can be viewed at Forbes.com.)

The top CCAP schools rank near the top of the U.S. News list, as the accompanying table shows. But just below the top there are some surprises. Duke, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania make the top 10 list at U.S. News but not at CCAP. Duke students don't rate their professors high enough. At the University of Pennsylvania not enough grads made it into Who's Who. Brown and Northwestern, both ranked 14 by U.S. News, and Dartmouth College, ranked 11 by U.S. News, all make it onto our top 10. The University of Alabama, which got great reviews from students, came in a number 7 on our national public university ranking; it's at position 42 on U.S. News' list.

In general i feel like there's a good amount of parity between most big national public universities, and it's what you make of your time there that counts.  I think a person can get an Ivy League education out of Mizzou and KU if they apply themselves and take advantage of all the opportunities offered. 

I honestly don't understand what kind of academic "prestige" someone would derive from graduating from a Big 10 school as opposed to any other number of solid national public universities.

[Highlander]

.

[im2kull]

1) Mizzou athletic programs would decline if they moved to the Big X because they would be cut off from their recruiting bases in Texas

Completely wrong.  More National Exposure > Bigger, NEW, Recruting Bases.  You really think Mizzou loves the fact that its the 4th choice for Texas HS seniors?  Texas, Oklahoma, TCU,..Mizzoui... Baylor.  Wow, I'm impressed.  There's no way in hell they could pick up that many 3 Star recruits in any other part of the country...oh hell no!



Besides, if Mizzou moves to the Big 10 it almost locks a yearly BCS appearance for the next 3-5 years.  I'll let you Kansas Fans do the math on that one..since you're still so heavily worshipping the fighting mangino's of yester-year.

[kcmetro]

Why are you guys still discussing this?  Mizzou isn't going to be invited into the Big 10.  Get over it.

[im2kull]

Why are you guys still discussing this?  Mizzou isn't going to be invited into the Big 10.  Get over it.

I don't think anyone disagree'd with that.  Nobody really expects them to jump ship..although it is worth pointing out that you're wrong: They have been invited to the Big 10 various times over the last decade.

The discussion of what would happen IF they were to jump conferences is still a very valid point, Big 12 or not.

[phxcat]

although it is worth pointing out that you're wrong: They have been invited to the Big 10 various times over the last decade.

No they haven't, and they would have less of a shot at a BCS game in the Big X because they wouldn't have the opportunity that they have the last few years to play in a weak division and they would be behind all of the Big X schools in recruiting their new recruiting turf anyway.

[Highlander]

.

[MoMan]

You are wrong on every account, but what's new about that.  The Big XII is a better football and basketball conference than the Big X and, hence, more national exposure.  Leaving a conference to dumb down the competition is chicken shit and Mizzou is above that.  Yea right about recruiting, Mitchell (5 star) and Pressey (4 star) are both from Texas.  Mizzou has gotten plenty of top notch football recruits out of Texas (3 football 4-stars for 2010 already).  Mizzou is not going to waltz in to the Big X and immediately establish a recruiting base, it would take years to establish anything close to what they have now in Texas and they're likely to never get there.  Move to the big ten and talk all the smack to Kansas fans you want about how the Tigers are in a more academically enriched conference because that's about all that move is going to be worth.

Being a better conference or a better football team does not automatically translate into more national exposure.  Look at Notre Dame, and look at the huge television contracts that the Big Ten and SEC conferences have.  They get money and lots of national exposure whether they're having strong years or not.

Despite the huge television revenues, distributed equitably among the schools (Vanderbilt and Northwestern made far more money from TV revenues than Texas did), the primary attraction of moving to the Big Ten would be the prestige of belonging to a conference that is noted for its academic excellence.  The Big Ten's CIC (Committee on Institutional Cooperation) is a powerful and very generou$ force in fostering that excellence among member institutions:

http://www.cic.net/Home/AboutCIC.aspx

I have no idea if Mizzou will be offered the chance to join the Big Ten.  But the university would be foolish to turn down the opportunity to do so if offered, and even more foolish to turn it down just so that the football team wouldn't lose whatever recruiting advantages it enjoys by sharing conference membership with Texas schools.

All messge board smack aside, those genuinely seeking what's best for Mizzou don't give a rip whether Kansas, Texas, Nebraska, or any other school benefits or suffers from MU's conference affiliation. Just as those schools and their supporters surely and correctly wouldn't allow their judgment of what's best for their own school to be shaped by how it might impact the University of Missouri.

[knucklehead]

Academics is/are the most important factor.

Academics should be weighted at least 80 percent in the decision making criteria.

The next factor is money. Illinois gets 21 million a year in revenue sharing from Big 10 (mainly TV revenue). MU gets 9 million. An extra 12 million a year would be nice.

[phna]

... The Big Ten's CIC (Committee on Institutional Cooperation) is a powerful and very generou$ force in fostering that excellence among member institutions:

http://www.cic.net/Home/AboutCIC.aspx

I have no idea if Mizzou will be offered the chance to join the Big Ten.  But the university would be foolish to turn down the opportunity to do so if offered, and even more foolish to turn it down just so that the football team wouldn't lose whatever recruiting advantages it enjoys by sharing conference membership with Texas schools.
...

A very good point. Mr. Nixon takes note oft that too.

"Nixon said his alma mater should be open to the possibility of switching, primarily because he says the Big Ten has some excellent academic programs.

?I?m not going to say anything bad about the Big 12, but when you compare Oklahoma State to Northwestern, when you compare Texas Tech to Wisconsin, I mean, you begin looking at educational possibilities that are worth looking at,? Nixon said in an interview with the Associated Press.
...

?If they want to talk, we should talk, and we should listen,? Nixon added.

...

http://www.freep.com/article/20091218/S ... 5/sports07

[NDTeve]

I'm sure those schools and states appreciated that bus toss. However true it may be...not very savvy.

[LenexatoKCMO]

I'm sure those schools and states appreciated that bus toss. However true it may be...not very savvy.

Yeah, not exactly the most politically savy way to say things - hopefully for Nixon's sake his party doesn't rely upon contributions from missouri business folk who happen to be alumns of the B12 land grant schools he apparently doesn't think much of.  It may be true, but a seasoned politician should know better than to say it like that out loud. 

[ComandanteCero]

Could someone explain how the conference membership affects academics?  Are there direct academic benefits (scholarships, reduced tuition, academic programs) shared by conference members or something?  Or is it just a perception thing?

[shinatoo]

FWIW.

Just talked to a buddy of mine, big Mythigan fan that lives in Columbus OH. He and all of his friends are assuming it will be Missouri if they expand. "It's the most logical move." I brought up Pitt and Syracuse and none of them think they would leave Big East Basketball.