And what does AAU have to do with anything. There are only three AAU schools in the SEC. does this mean all the other schools should be kicked out?

The SEC is about high caliber football. Missouri is not. I say there is no rush to select number 14 so we should wait until the correct school is available.

And where do you get off with your assessment of Missouri football? Long run of bad years, but over the past 5-6 years, it has been:

consistently top 25 at the end of each year
At least 8 wins the past 5 years and 10-win seasons 3 of the last 5 years
In 2007, was #1 in BCS going into the Big XII Championship game, 1 win away from being in BCS NCG
All this in the 2nd toughest football conference in America

Listen, we are not Alabama, but we are not Vandy. We will probably not wind championships, but we will compete and we will beat Tennessee probably 1/2 the time Knoxville.

But thanks for trying.

But one thing I read said the universities who have home games against MU next year are considering suing them for leaving them having to replace them.

I lived in Arkansas when they left the SWC and joined the SEC. When they made the move they were elated! I got the feeling that to say they were tired of the whole state of Texas and the SWC schools would be a gross understatement. As far as I could tell the gladness of making the move and loyalty to the SEC only grew with time. It seemed like all of the Razorback fans I knew were telling me that A&M should make the move too. They're right, and I'm glad we are!

I could only laugh when I read reports of Dan Bebe calling Arkansas to talk with them about joining the Big XII. I'm at a loss to think of a comparative example to illustrate how ridiculous that was.

I totally agree that July can not come soon enough for me either!

Gig'Em!

If the Big 12 is really waiting on Missouri before expanding further then how does it help the SEC for Missouri to apply within the next week or so?

By waiting till the last possible moment before applying and being accepted Mizzou could either force the Big 12 to pull the trigger on WVU, Louisville, BYU, or whoever else further weakening the Big 12"s already precarious legal position. And should the Big 12 act later rather than sooner it would effectively postpone said Big East/Independent programs from joining the Big 12 next year they would have to wait till 2013 (yes I realize Big East bylaws require any exiting school to wait 27 months, but without said schools there is no Big East as a football conference.).

Such a move would give the SEC an extra year to evaluate/decide whether 14 teams is the stopping point or if they should indeed proceed directly to 16 after 2012. This leaves WVU in a similar position to TCU this year. They were committed to join one conference but the delay provided the opening for another conference to swoop in.

Thats funny.

Am I correct in remembering Texas wants the Big 12 to stay at 10 schools to avoid a conference championship game? They want the easiest path to the BCS title game?

TCU, SMU, U of H, and several other D-1 schools in Texas will still play an SEC TAMU, so no real loss on our end. Mizzou, you can expect the same from Kansas, but new rivalries form. And for the record, Arkansas is in no way unhappy they left the old SWC. So just give up that argument.

I was in Philly yesterday and had to keep from laughing at a UT alum. He was telling me that we were going to have to up our game to play there. His next comment was laughable. "Even UT would have problems in the SEC, so I would not want them to go there". UT can spin this any way they want, but they need to man up, admit they made a mistake and move on.

Also, take a look at the Bleacher Report, Prez Lofton finally opened the lid on Pandora's Box and revealed just how underhanded UT has been over the whole issue for the past 2 years. It makes a great read!

July cannot come soon enough for me.

I am surprised at OU and OSU, but their decisions are up to them.

Bring on the Southeastern Mountaineers to the Big 12 – a ranked team with a mascot that wears a coonskin hat and packs heat.

Big 12 wins. SEC loses on this deal.

Good luck with Okie Light.

Gig'Em!

Coincidentally, you guys have 0 national championships in any sport ever and if VT was in the SEC its stadium seating capacity would rank 12th (behind Mizzou and TAMU too) – only in front of Vandy and Miss. St. You guys have had a nice 20 year run. When Beamer's gone you'll revert to form.

I'm looking forward to focusing on our game this week against Okie Light and then an SEC game against A&M next week on the Big 12's dime. That will get some GREAT media attention I'm sure, hehe.

Your main concern should be that, when the ACC redoes the divisions, Tobacco Road will be reunited in a "Real ACC" division made up of UVa, NC, Duke, NCSU, Wake, Maryland and GT and the rest of you will be dumped into a "Big East refugees / SEC wannabees" division consisting of VT, Syracuse, Pitt, scUM, BC, Clemson and fsu. Congratulations, you're right back where you started! But, hey, that's still a lot better than the Metro conference, the Atlantic 10 or being a "football only" Big East member so I guess you're still a little ahead of the game!

August 15. A&M President authorized by Board of Regents to seek new conference affiliation. http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen…

August 31. A&M announces that they want to leave the Big 12 in for the SEC in 2012. http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-college-footb…

September 2. Don Beebe letter agrees that A&M will leave Big 12. http://images.radcity.net/6960/4850286.pdf

September 8. SEC accepts A&M provided that there is no lawsuit. http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6939…

September 20–Pac-12 rejects expansion for now, removing the threat that the Big 12 would disintegrate. http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6998…

September 25–SEC officially and unconditionally accepts A&M. I can't find a date for Baylor withdrawing the lawsuit threat. http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/70…

Looking forward to many new roadtrips to all the awesome SEC campuses.

MIZ!

Prior to that the supposed offer in the SEC was denied by both sides and it was thought to only be an offer if OU,OSU,TT and UT left for the Pac 12. The SEC was reportedly worried about being sued if they took MU and Texas A&M and felt if those four teams had left the Big 12 would basically be dead and no way they could be sued by Baylor.

On 10/21: delegated to the chancellor, the authority to MAKE DECISIONS, including entering into contracts on conference alignment.”