Pitt to the Big Ten? What now, Mizzou?
The rumors are hot and heavy that the University of Pittsburgh is joining the Big Ten, perhaps as soon as this week. I don’t know if it will come to pass, but it would make sense. I was told that since Penn State’s admission to the Big Ten, it has felt a little like an outsider, on the far eastern edge of the conference. Pitt certainly would shift the league a little East.
All of which will make the University of Missouri a little uncomfortable. Mizzou wanted to join the Big Ten, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon even did a little politicking for the school, saying, “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.”
And when you compare a school whose officials — administrative or political — don’t trash fellow league schools with a school whose officials do just that, well, doesn’t do much for Missouri’s status in the Big 12. Good luck getting OSU or Tech — or anyone, really — to cut Mizzou any slack on any issue. Tech, OSU and Missouri are very similar in terms of status within the league and athletic budget. But Missouri’s obvious preference for the Big Ten, coupled with Nixon’s elitism, will make Missouri less than comfortable in Big 12 meetings for a long while.
Of course, the Pitt deal might not come through, and perhaps Missouri will bolt to the Big Ten. But if not, you won’t have to wonder who is the least popular member of the Big 12 Conference.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
[...] Lots of rumors. To the point where newspapers, while not directly reporting it in print, are into discussing the possible ramifications, and blogging it. Speculation is heating up all over the Internet that Pitt has accepted an offer [...]
The ironic thing is that if Missouri did actually join the Big 10, they would immediately become the Big 10′s equivalent of the schools that the Missouri goveneror disparaged.
Well, just because Pittsburgh is added to the Big Ten doesn’t mean Missouri would be excluded. From everything that I’ve been hearing, the Big Ten will probably expand to 14 or 16 schools.
Typical Oklahoma-bred arrogance. Gov. Nixon was exactly right in his assessment. Don’t cry because your feelings got hurt. And what does it matter if Tech, State and OU hold a grudge against Missouri, anyway? What can Tech and OSU do about it? Nothing. Not in this environment, where they are as marginalized as anyone else. You reporters need to be looking at the real problem that faces the Big XII – and that is growing unrest among the teams not named Oklahoma and Texas. The Missouri situation isn’t the problem, fools, it’s a symptom of a larger problem. But with dolts like Dan Beebe running the conference, there will never be a remedy for what ails the Big XII.
If standing up to the league office makes Mizzou unpopular, then so be it. Mizzou has every right to point out the ridiculous “rules” of the Big 12, especially since they are get hosed by them more than anyone else. Last I checked, Mizzou wasn’t on par academically with Northwestern or Wisky and have never claimed to be. If Texas Tech or OSU think they are…well, congratulations.
Nothing like an “aggrieved” Mizzou fan to make my day. While MU is not in the basement of the conference in terms of their entire athletic program, they definitely aren’t in the penthouse. For their fans to act like they are is utterly laughable. Mizzou while competitive in most sports is not a national power in any and as such probably is somewhere around 6 or 7 in the conference pecking order when performance and support are combined. Behind Texas, OU, Nebraska, A&M and probably KU and on the level of Tech and OSU.
What a great thng it would be to have the Tigers as a Big 10
member.Geographically, they are a natural fit.Athletically, they can compete in all sports with the other member schools.
Academically, they are on par with all member schools. Missouri would definitely be a better fit than Pitt. I sure hope the Missouri officials apply for admission, and Big Ten officials accept them in the conference.
Mizzou can leave the Big 12 any day now! Please do us all a favor and leave. As a student at Texas Tech, it makes me laugh to think that a trashy school like ‘Mizzou’ thinks they are of elite status.
Puh-leeze! Why would the Big 10 want Missouri or Pitt when it could have Texas? If Mizzou leaves the Big XII, who replaces them? Utah? BYU? TCU? That only gives the Big XII another mouth to feed, not a meaningful contributor.
If Mizzou leaves the Big XII, the Big XII is history. Why would freakin’ Texas let MISSOURI dictate its athletic future? If Mizzou is as good as gone, Texas is as good as gone and Mizzou ain’t no Texas, ya hear? And Texas is academically and athletically superior to Mizzou in every way. Every. Way.
As for Pitt…why? Between the Columbus Couch Burners and State Penn, the Big 10 already has the Pennsylvania TV market. Don’t be stupid! If the Big 10 is going to raid the Big LEast, take Rutgers and try to get the NYC TV market.
The Big 12 should court a replacement for Missouri and then remove them from the conference.
All this posturing will get it a nice spot in the Mountain West, WAC or Conference USA. Where, ironically, it would become more competitive.
Oh boo hoo, we’re not popular…give me a break Berry. You think the Big 12 meetings will make them uncomfortable? What makes them uncomfortable is the lopsided revenue distribution and ridiculous 9-3 majority to change anything like lopsided distribution. If Tech, OSU, KU, KSU, ISU, CU, BU and even NU don’t want to join MU in changing the status quo and forcing the Big 12 to catch up with the SEC and Big 10 (and adding about 12-15 million, depending on the estimates for each school) then who cares if U with the 2nd largest market in the Big 12 is “unpopular?”
Wow. Baseless fan-site rumors making it into the mainstream media. What are the odds?
The Big 10 hasn’t even started analyzing things. There are no invitations forthcoming next week.
Why doesn’t Missouri just join the Ivy League since they clearly are head and shoulders above everyone else academically? Why merely accept Big-10 status when they offer so much more? And hey, they might – just might – actually win the conference title in football if they join the Ivy League.
Wow! A lot of jealousy out there for Mizzou’s position. No school, other than UT, has anything that the Big 10 wants. Let’s go down the rolls team by team:
1) Baylor: Small, private and a tennis power. Northwestern already has that area covered.
2) Colorado: Imploding in all sports, mountain bikers taking over and all significant CU football coaches have been Mizzou alums.
3) Iowa State: While an agricultural power academically, unfortunately its athletic teams make worse use of its fields than the local cows, hogs and hens.
4) KSU: How long will Snyder stick around? When your town name is the “Little (fill in the blank)” that is a bad sign.
5) KU: Basketball does not an athletic program make, plus NCAA rules about hiring family members will severely cut down the number of recruits.
6) Nebraska: Good athletic program but when the joke about your university is “What does the N on Nebraska’s helmets stand for? Nowledge” then you are not an academic match for the Big 10.
7) OSU: The Big 10 already has an OSU and its better.
OU: Not a bad choice athletically, but where do you park a Schooner in an actual city?
9) Texas A&M: Good athletic programs but who has ever, EVER said I’m turning down Stanford for Texas A&M?
10) UT: good choice both academically and athletically which is exactly why Michigan and Ohio State don’t want it.
11) Texas Tech: a leader in Shed technology but the basketball team stinks on ice and you have to know what comes after T-e-c-h…uh…uh…
That leaves Mizzou, a leader in engineering (largest college nuclear reactor), agriculture (home of the longest continually farmed agricultural plot), journalism (the first school of journalism in the world) among others and an athletic rival to all Big 10 teams. See ya later…losers!
Mizzou sucks. Tiger fans would be better off just shutting up and leaving the Big 12 altogether if they’re so unhappy with the rest of the conference. We don’t want uptight, pretentious losers around anyway. If they want to find their spot in the Big Ten with the rest of the pretentious idiots, go for it.
Bring on TCU to the Big 12.
Typical husker thought. Add a team that contracts your viewing footprint. Hey, while you’re at it, just call it the Southwest Conference.
Why would fans/alumni of a Big XII school want to leave the most well-grounded, level-headed, good-natured, fun-loving conference in the nation for the pretentious big 10? I’ve always supported Mizzou and all the Big XII schools, and would hate to see any of them leave. The NU-MU rivalry is one of the oldest in college FB. But of course, the ignorant comments of some fans often make it tough to give them much credibility — like basing their perception of a school’s academic reputation on a CU Buffs joke (N on helmet). How about checking which school has the most academic all-americans? Mizzou’s not even on the list…
Are you kidding? Our Hooters’ waitresses are smarter than your academic all americans!
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2009/jun/26/mu-grad-spreads-wings/
Husker – You make it too easy…
Give It – Take it to Berry, he’s the one that seems to be worried and rushed this out as “news.”
Shrek – Why does the cable guy where a hat with an N? Was he an academic all-American at Bugeater U, too?
What I’d like to know is this: if Missouri leaves the Big 12 and is replaced by, say, TCU, in what way is the Big 12 worse off?
Hey Wickus,
your comment on Engineering excellence made me laugh. While it is true that most B12 are pretty weak in engineering being the best of a group of poor engineers is not a great feat at all! I am an engineer and the MU engineering program ranks at the bottom half of the top 100 public univeristies.
NU has no MSE program so I left Nebraska and went to a school with a great Engineering program, and it wasn’t MU (UF)! TO say that Nebraskans aren’t academic is a load of BS, the school simply chooses to focus more on the agriculture and liberal art side, like most schools do. By the way, my top 10 MSE program got me an $80k per year job after 4 years, what did you get?
I do however agree that the B12 is dominated by the South politically and needs to be changed or disolve the conference.
Point is, you don’t have to trash other schools just to prove the point that the B12 is corrupt and unjust.
The big 12 would be better off all around. Better academics, better athletics, better looking girls, better market….I say sign them up now.
I do find it funny how the mizzou fan touts their agricultural programs while disparaging all others despite the fact that schools like A&M blow them away in those fields. Texas Tech also has an excellent engineering program as well as a pretty good law and medical school. Baylor is a good baseball school and their women’s sports blow mizzou away. Kansas has a similar football team and far superior basketball so I guess I am confused where mizzou’s supposed athletic prowess comes from. Also if you think you are on par with any of those big 10 schools academically…you really are drinking something pretty strong.
Gee, I guess its just so easy to find out which schools have a sense of humor about themselves and which don’t.
While the blog is enjoying what the Governor of Missouri had to say, I think the real position for many alums is this. We like the Big 12 and the rivalries that go along with it but we enjoyed the Big 8 more. Sadly, the Big 8 was not financially viable so we sold our souls to the TX schools. They are fine schools all but the management of the conference is the issue and is facing south.
The real issue with the Big 10 is that Mizzou is geographically a good fit, adds 1.5 TV markets of reasonable size and we can probably find a way to improve our athletic and academic standing with the extra $15M a year. Culturally, St. Louis fits into the Big 10 mold better than KC but I think the powers that be will overlook a lot just because of the dollar signs involved. This all assumes that Mizzou gets an invitation. However I think most of the northern schools will owe Mizzou a big thank you if we are able to gain enough leverage using the Big 10 to correct the Big 12 improprieties whether we stay or not.
LOL. A sense of humor when you point out what is bad about every school but your own? If you had offered some witty points about your own school then your point may have been validated, but this was clearly not your intent.
Folks, I’m an Okie who has lived in Mizzou land for more than 40 years and an familiar with the school and its fans. The only place I’ve ever heard a Mizzou fan who is for the move into the Big 10 is on this blog site. Other than the governor, whom many of us hope is a 1-termer, and those on this site there is no wishes to leave the Bib 12 and enter the Big 10. And to those elitist Big 10ers, you’re full of it. Your schools are no better academically than those in the Big 12, nor any other conference in the nation. That includes your precious Northwestern. I frankly would rather have stayed the Big 8, but I wasn’t given a choice in the matter. But I am proud of the Big 12 and I most certainly don’t think that Texas is the only good school in the conference. They’re all good at what they furnish. Some of the schools are better though in sports than others. But that’s also a fact in every conference.
I too am confused with this superiority complex that Mizzou has with it’s academics and athletics? When ranked among universities, which in my opinion are hard to rank, but using a mainstream source like U.S News. Missouri ranks in the lower half of the Big 12. If you go by those rankings it would be as follows 1. Texas, 2. Texas A&M, 3. Colorado, 4. Baylor, 5. Iowa State, 6. Kansas, 6. Nebraska, then….oh wait a minute then followed by Missouri and Oklahoma which were tied. The other three…TTU, OSU, and KSU didn’t even register. But…the do register on another list…the list of Big 12 championships. Wait a minute…last we looked here…Mizzou ranked last in that category with Texas, Nebraska, & Texas A&M leading that pack! Let me be the first to say Good-bye to Missouri….have fun in the Big Ten….I’m sure your fortunes will turn around in that conference!
BIG TEN CONFERENCE!
I’m an Iowa Hawkeye fan, and I would love to have the Big 10 Conference remain a Midwest conference. If they add Pitt, Missouri, and Nebraska, you have a manageable conference in 10 states, and you can keep the name Big 10 Conference. Colorado and Utah go to the PAC 10/12, the Kansas teams go West, Iowa State to the MAC, and the Big 12 dissolves into the new Southwest Conference with the Big 12 South, Arkansas, Houston, TCU, etc. Long term, there will be eight 16-team conferences, and a playoff system.