The links and quotes today are just baffling and ridiculous, but we'll start with one that actually acknowledges the presence of baseball in the NCAA, written by a self-described "freshman sports journalist at the University of Missouri" (@SG_Mizzou15 on twitter):Analysts are constantly talking about how this will impact football and men’s basketball, the two most popular college sports. The people making these decisions have no regard for the effect that conference realignment will have on less popular sports, like baseball, soccer or volleyball.And now for the confusion:
Student athletes in non-revenue producing sports will now be spending less time in the classroom and more time on the road traveling due to the flawed geography of the new conferences. Texas A&M illustrates this example perfectly. Its two closest Big 12 opponents are Baylor (92 miles) and Texas (105 miles). Its two closest SEC opponents next year will be LSU (337 miles) and Arkansas (505 miles). . .
♦ Source: BYU poised to join the Big 12 (rivals.com)
A source close to the situation at Brigham Young University is indicating that if the Big 12 Conference in fact holds together as now expected, BYU is highly likely to become a full member of that conference if it can be assured that the league will be stable into the future.
The source says that university and Big 12 officials were close to making an announcement of the addition of BYU to the conference following the loss of Texas A&M, but those plans were put on hold when Oklahoma president David Boren made it known that the Sooners were exploring their options with the PAC-12. That same source informed Deep Shades of Blue last year of BYU's intent to become a football independent weeks before its official announcement.
The source also informed DSB that prior to the Sooners courting of the PAC-12, the BYU Board of Trustees had authorized President Cecil O. Samuelson to move all of the school's athletic programs into the Big 12.
The seismic shift in college athletics has once again been diverted.♦ Source says Mizzou has informal offer from SEC (Kansas City Star)
Unless there is a major surprise looming, the latest round of conference realignment will only produce a handful of changes. The 16-team superconference is again on hold.
The Pac-12 presidents and chancellors decided late Tuesday night not to expand, leaving Texas and Oklahoma to figure out a way to get along in the Big 12.
“After careful review we have determined that it is in the best interests of our member institutions, student-athletes and fans to remain a 12-team conference,” Commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement. “While we have great respect for all of the institutions that have contacted us, and certain expansion proposals were financially attractive, we have a strong conference structure and culture of equality that we are committed to preserve.”
The Southeastern Conference has an informal offer on the table for Missouri to join its league, an option that may not be needed after the Pac-12 decided Tuesday night that it was not going to expand.♦ SEC official: No offer to Mizzou (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
SEC officials are willing to wait for an answer from Missouri until the future of the Big 12 is decided, but that future looks much better without the Pac-12 as an option for Oklahoma and Texas to join.
Word of the informal agreement came to The Star from a Missouri booster who spoke directly to a Missouri official. Another source told The Star on Tuesday that an Oklahoma official said the SEC is interested in Missouri
As speculation escalates about where various schools, including Mizzou, will land on the conference realignment carousel, Charles Bloom of the SEC said in a phone interview on Tuesday that the conference has made no recent offers for others to join it.
“The SEC has not extended an invitation to any school beyond Texas A&M since it extended invitations to Arkansas and South Carolina,” said Bloom, associate commissioner of the Southeastern Conference.
And the good people at RockMNation have a good summary of the mess-as-it-stands-at-this-moment and some thoughts on what's ahead
♦ MIZZOUEXPANSIONAPALOOZA 2011™: Pac-12 says, "Not Expanding. We're Good." (rockmnation.com)
Now what?
Again, if "sources" are to be believed, and Missouri can move to the SEC, is that something that the Board of Regents and the Chancellor should pursue?
Or is it in our collective best interest to try and prop up the Big 12, side with Oklahoma and try to see if some reform can be forced through that includes equal revenue sharing and attempt to expand the league back to 12?
I believe that there are pros and cons to both approaches...
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