Wolfman you would do well to understand it was not the inequity that caused teams to leave the 12, it was the instability of control from the Texas and OU aristocracy and their willingness to listen to Larry Scott. When you have conferences making overtures to Bevo and see them responding with interest, it does little to promote stability. Then of course there is the OU last minute flirtation with the PAC that failed in landing them an invitation that only furthered and emphasized the schism that was readily apparent. In what is left of the 12 it is clear who runs the show, and what their agenda is and the lesser conference members are just that, the back shelf voices who have no real voice in the direction or decisions affecting the 12.

For the Trammels of the world to ignore the fact that the second largest fan base and TV market left for the SEC and at the time the 3rd largest, Mizzou (2nd media market)saw fit to follow, is nothing more than willful ignorance of the most intrinsic components of what creates the value of a sports conference to begin with. The best deal in the world means nothing if the future is so vague and uncertain that your conference partners may have all be scattered in the wind in just a few years to come.

While there may be much to learn about the way schools view motivation and interest in the way they align themselves from the saga of the Big 12 disintegration, to understand it you will need to look past the jaded views of the remaining schools who will grasp at air to defend the indefensible.

Big 12 Texas: 446 million. Iowa State: 217 Million.

SEC: Vandy: 399 Million. TAMU: 543 Million. Florida: 592 Million. Georgia: 332 Million. Tenn-Knoxville: 236 Million. Kentucky: 331 Million. Missouri: 228 Million. LSU: 260 Million. Alabama – 351 Million.

Texas does not share resources with any school that is not within it’s network. That is also why you see UT-Dallas, UTSA, UT-HSC, and UT-MD Anderson all above $200 million mark. A&M just has their Galveston branch that is above the $200 million mark in academic research. If you were a university president looking to join a network of universities, would you chose to partner with Iowa St. or the SEC? That was Presidents of Mizzou and A&M choice, and they chose the SEC. The reason why Texas is not interested in joining the SEC is because it does not have to in order to meet the needs of the academic side of the school. Texas is a fantastic school. However the resources that built that academic powerhouse are no longer available to duplicate and build other universities to the level that the Texas Networks of Universities are. A&M knew that in order to grow it had to forge a new path and get out of the shadow of the TU. This is also why that rumors of Clemson and FSU joining the Big12 are bunk. If you think this list looks bad on the B12, you should see what the ACC and B10 look like. Both those conferences outrank the SEC (which is why the B10 was Mizzou’s first choice). So when someone talks about how school A could make $5-15 million more a year in this conference, to a university president that looks at the entire school budget and image, that money is pocket change compared to the funding that academic research brings in the school. A lot of that money is tied to research projects that extend across campuses through out the conference. FSU and Clemson would stand to lose 100′s of millions of research dollars if they left the ACC. The two most unstable conferences are the two conferences that do not have formal or informal academic partnerships agreements in the conferences; The B12 and the Big East. An academic partnership was one of the agenda items that the OU president wanted created in order to stay in the B12. Remember that the conference affiliation is determined by the guys with the bow ties in the ivory towers and not the AD, boosters and coaches.

When both A&M and Mizzou are growing academically ten years from now and are fully integrated into the SEC, there will be no regrets.

Eighteen years after leaving the SWC, one thing hasn’t changed, and Nebraska should take heed. “We don’t have a rivalry,” Broyles said. Not like you had with Texas, anyway. “Oh,” he said, smiling, “did we ever.”

Mr Trammel and lots of B12 fans are projecting their thoughts and emotions at Mizzou and A&M fans. I am absolutely sure very few A&M and Mizzou fans feel this way. I know I don’t.

Stolen from a psych website, I think this covers it pretty well:

When a person has uncomfortable thoughts or feelings, they may project these onto other people, assigning the thoughts or feelings that they need to repress to a convenient alternative target.

Projection may also happen to obliterate attributes of other people with which we are uncomfortable. We assume that they are like us, and in doing so we allow ourselves to ignore those attributes they have with which we are uncomfortable.

Neurotic projection is perceiving others as operating in ways one unconsciously finds objectionable in yourself.

I won’t speak for all Arkansas fans, but I, personally, do not “rue the fact” that we don’t have one big rival, as we had with Texas. You see, I consider all our SEC opponents to be huge rivals, unlike I did with everyone else in the SWC. Honestly, it’s like playing Texas every week. I’ll also note that Arkansas fell off the map BEFORE we joined the SEC, around 1989 or so; a few years after Texas fell off the map.

As for the article, I didn’t completely agree with it, either, but I think you’re wrong about who will miss who the most.

And that’s why we included the word “Now” in the sentence. In 2010 and 2011, Arkansas hasn’t worried a whole heckuva lot about Texas.

Thanks for reading,

John

Texas fans are consistent in saying that OU is the main rival. Ags say we don’t mean it. Our AD tells TAMU that if they leave the Big 12, we’re done playing them (and in an aside, notes that Texas and OU would continue to play if in different conferences). TAMU leaves. Texas says we’re done.

OU is the main rival. That game is the one with the most hatred and fierce competition (Texas leads the series with TAMU by over a 2:1 margin and has a winning record in the Ags’ home stadium). I know the Ags will never believe it, but it’s true (directed to the SEC fans).

As far as Pinkel vs Petrino in the Mighty MO, I could be mistaken but, I think Pinkel is winning approximately 75% of the head-to-heads. We got DGB, Boehm, Richardson, Demien, Ealy, and Lucas. You got Ronnie “I wish I could go back home” Wingo and the pudgy kid from Jeff City. Needless to say, I like our take much better.

A 1/3 of my family are hog graduates and fans. I grew up about an hour from Fayetteville in southern Missouri. Don’t take this personally. I am enjoying jawing with you and I cannot wait to go to a game there to take my mom back to here alma mater.

I am really looking forward to seeing the Aggies in the SEC. Their fanbase and traditions are second to none. Living in Texas for a years, I was amazed to experience A&M’s school spirit in my first visit to Kyle Field. As a neutral Georgia alumn, I was quickly to pick my favorite-the Aggies. The Aggie fan base is truly a gem, I am so happy they are joining the SEC and I can’t wait to come down to College Station again for a game. The arrogance from Longhorn fans was ridiculous.

Years Texas finished ahead of Arkansas in the polls- ’94, ’95, ’96, ’98, ’00, ’01, ’02, ’03, ’04, ’05, ’07, ’08, and ’09.

Seems like West Virginia may have some regrets. If you look at a map West Virginia doesn’t fit in the Big 12. I think that’s an unstable fit.

Of course they are saying that now, they are winning and Haith is there. He was a .500 coach his entire career before coming to MU, so let’s give him a few years to bring his players before you start building any statues in his likeness. As for MA, all he did was bring you the best season your program ever had in terms of wins, and went as far as any other coach has taken you in the big dance.

Good job on DGB. I think that is the first recruit from you own state you have beat us out on since Petrino arrived here. I hope he enjoys blocking for your run first QB

1) Every Missouri fan and most big 12 fans, save tejas and chokelahoma, recognize that the SEC is the best football conference.

2) I don’t expect to win it all but, again we are not the prison wife you make us out to be.

3) The cotton bowl was a blip on the radar that is Mizzou’s football history. The fact is Arkansas fans are delusional and the cotton bowl is merely an example. Point 1: You crowed for weeks telling us how we were not prepared for the SEC speed. Then, we ran over, around, and through you. Point 2 (more recent): DGB! You said no way he would go to Mizzou because was not on Arkansas’s level. Well, we know how that turned out. The 1960 undefeated season, 2010 zero U game, and 2007 kU game are my biggest points of program pride.

4) Joke is on you for Anderson. At the time, I thought it was a loss. However, not anymore. The guy refuses to recruit and can’t win a road game. I could not be happier with Haith. Do a little research, our players are openly saying the last staff (Suitcase Mike’s) was lazy.