Missouri A.D. Mike Alden On Expansion: “There’s More Coming. It’s Not Over”

December 30th, 2012 10:23 AM║ Posted By: MrSEC.com ║ Permalink ║ Schools: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
Tags: Big Ten, Faurot Field, Mike Alden, NCAA

Overseeing the transition from the Big 12 to the SEC and now a stadium expansion at Faurot Field, Missouri athletic director Mike Alden has had a busy year. The Columbia Daily Tribune has posted a lengthy Q and A with the Mizzou A.D. that touches on a variety of topics. Here were a few things that caught our eye.

On expansion in college football:

I don’t know that it surprised me that Maryland or Rutgers did what they did (by going to the Big Ten) or whoever else had made the moves. I guess my only thought on that is I think there’s more coming. It’s not over. The Big East is at a real, real disadvantage right now for them to be able to regroup and be at the same level as some of the other leagues. But I still think there are schools continuing to try to line themselves up with like institutions.

On the possibility of super conferences in college football, an idea that we’ve covered in detail here at MrSEC.

I think you’re going to see 60 to 70 schools at some level be in some type of alignment within the NCAA structure. Whether that means four conferences or five conferences or a consortium of schools, I think that’s where you’re going to end up…

I think it’s a good thing overall for college athletics, because I do think it allows those 60 to 70 schools that really see themselves as like institutions that not only compete against themselves athletically but almost see themselves academically aligned in a lot of different ways — I think it finally puts those institutions in an arena where everybody, for the most part, has always known they’ve been.

A few other tidbits from the piece:

The Missouri athletic department has received two donations worth $36.4 million this year. Alden told the paper, “We’re working on a few other significant gifts, as well.”

Completion of the east-side stadium expansion could be completed by 2014. That will bring stadium capacity to 75,000 with an additional expansion planned that will bring capacity to 83,000.

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18 comments

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Expansion Family Fun

Come to think of it, if the Missouri A.D. is so sure does that mean Missouri is involved?

Might they exit (for free) to the Big Ten if offered?

Seems evil on Big Ten's part. Uh, yeah join the SEC for a while and since they have no exit fee, you don't have to pay when we ask you in Winter 2013. But, yeah join us.

Missouri and Connecticut could join (for free) the Big Ten soon. It is two new states for BTN.

buddha22

@Expansion Family Fun Effing idiot!

Expansion Family Fun

Big Ten West: Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois

Big Ten East: Ohio State, Penn State, Indiana, Purdue, Northwestern, Connecticut, Rutgers, Maryland

Expansion Family Fun

With Missouri gone, that does give the SEC an extra spot for the entire NC Triangle. Hmmm, maybe cut Missouri loose?

Gotta figure the Virginia Brothers will follow the NC triangle, right?

Maybe a win-win for Big Ten and SEC. Cut Missouri loose, free a spot for Triangle. Lure VA brothers with triangle. Reach 18. Big Ten left with small/private schools for 18. GT and ND in play though.

AndrewMartin

@Expansion Family Fun

If you are going to cut, it wouldn't be MO. Too big of a market, AAU school, etc. SEC should cut one of the Mississippi schools.

Clarence

@Expansion Family Fun No way. Slive won't give up the MO/KS footprint, and he certainly does not want 24 in the denominator when calculating revenue per school.

Expansion Family Fun

Might the SEC 24-team end game be this....

Cut Missouri (13)

Add NC Triangle (16)

With Triangle as bait, add VA brothers (18)

May as well triple scoop state of Florida at this point to stop a Big 12 double dip there. (20... FSU, Miami)

At 20, why not finish off the American South for life with: Clemson, GT, Tulane and Louisville? (24)

Expansion Family Fun

Only way he makes this kind of bold statement is with an approval from his conference commissioner. I think this means the SEC is going to expand (again) by 2014. Plus, the SEC has responded to every B1G move with an SEC move(s) since 1991 (year Penn State signed their papers). So, in keeping with the pattern, why would they not respond to Maryland & Rutgers?

Expansion Family Fun

If he's certain enough to make these kind of statements in the wake of Missouri's botched B1G entry where he basically got on his knees and groveled, then there must be at least more than a shred of proof to go on now.

Knowing the SEC will expand very soon and assuming the Big 12's Grant of Rights lives up to the hype, I'll say Florida State and Virginia Tech make the upgrade. I could come up with all sort of reasons for other schools, but VT and FSU drive up the value of the SEC Network by increasing the quality of Tier 3 programming. Games that were normally Tier 3 (say Vandy vs. Arkansas) now might not even make the SEC Network because (say VT vs. Mississippi State) now qualifies as one heck of a Tier 3 matchup.

Big Ten guy here, love the BTN. The best football matchup the BTN ever staged was Rich Rod Era Michigan vs. Michigan State. After that, you're looking at a few Ohio State-Purdue games with 10-12 future pros involved and then probably like a Penn State vs. X in Joe Pa's swan song before the controversy at PSU.

My point is, SEC Network will own BTN if it can offer quality like FSU-Ole Miss against Maryland-Illinois (in football, mind you). As far as hoops, BTN is just really good. No way to spin it. BTN gets ranked vs. ranked Big Ten hoops pretty much once or twice a week once conference play starts. Then again, SEC baseball is a draw so that would be the counter to Big Ten hoops.

Long story short, take the quality upgrade instead of the "footprint" upgrade if you are starting up a new network from ground zero. The Big Ten could only air the really bottom conference football games (think Tier 6) and the FCS games the very first year. NOTE - NC State and VT would obviously be good and would probably beef up hoops programming considerably over VT and FSU. Tons of NC State fans who long for the "good old days" and the BTN caters to that crowd constantly on the BTN year-round.

buddha22

@Expansion Family Fun I will rise to your dribble eff, MU botched nothing, indeed, Alden played it very cool. Kinda' pissed you off eff, didn't it, when he never acknowledged anything with the B10 except that there had been an intial approach by the B10. The rest is media hype and trolls like yourself, whipping yourself into a frenzy. I guess you are still trying to justify why your favorite nub U left the B12 when you realized you no longer could piss with the Big Dog and even kANSAS put 76 on you. Indeed, looks like nU groveled and licked the Silve's loafers gladly accepting that junior membership...when do you get that first "equal" share, 2017??? Lastly, there is ZERO interest in the BLoser1G conference from MU administration. Thank you for wishing we'd join you and help you out.

Clarence

@Expansion Family Fun Must be some crazy discussions going on behind the scenes. Big players from ACC are trying to figure out how to keep their conference together, while running the numbers that show they will be $10M - $15M in the hole per year by not joining a conference that has the big network dollars.

I'm sticking with John on the FSU not getting SEC invite theory. I say UNC, Duke and UVA to B1G (there's your real life Hoops Dream) and NC St and VT to SEC. Throw in a maybe on B1G taking GT.

B1G gets the AAU schools that play BB and can host home football games for B1G alums across the east coast and south. SEC grows the footprint and adds two more SEC culture schools.

After that, it gets really crazy. Everyone left has to scramble to make something work and it all depends on how the new playoff gets rolled out (AQ type scenario) and if it quickly gets morphed (to 6-8 teams or more).

I'm not sold on B12 growing. Deloss Dodds gets his LHN dollars without a conference champion game. I could see a scenario where the remaining ACC schools form a football conference (Miami, Clemson, FSU, Pitt, BC, Syracuse) and pick the Big East clean (Cincy, UConn) and maybe try and entice WVU back to the east coast (Come on! You always wanted to be ACC!!).

Expansion Family Fun

Would Notre Dame (as conference Lord) be okay with this...

Duke, Wake, Notre Dame, Clemson, Miami, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Boston College...

Then add maybe the C7 in Olympics or perhaps: Navy/Army/Temple/Cincy/UL/Memphis etc.

Expansion Family Fun

In the 1970's there was talks of a "Marigold Conference" as the South's version of the Ivy League. It would have been pretty cool, but only a few projected members wanted to do it...

Rice, Tulane, Miami, Duke, Clemson, Baylor, SMU, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest

I do see some of the smaller/private schools in the ACC finding homes in the SEC or B1G eventually. A school like Clemson is too valuable to just let die on the vine. Ditto BC, Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

But a certain Northern Indiana school could always change everything and invite all those schools: Wake, Duke, Cuse, BC, etc. and make a brand new conference.

buddha22

1 Like

Mile Alden said these things early last September before the 1st home game at the Tiger Club in KC. It was an eye opener for the pro B12 press in the room because they were convinced expansion had been squelched with their much talked about but never seen 13 year GOR and some opined Alden was just throwing it out there. Mike definitely seems plugged in and if he is talking about this you can reasonably assume he has heard back channel from other reliable sources.

AllTideUp

@buddha22 The last time Alden makes remarks like this, movement occurred within a few weeks. I think at the time, he said movement would occur with a "couple years." If he's not plugged in then he certainly can interpret situations very well.

Whatever happens, I hope it happens soon and that it's the final blow. 16, 18, 20, or more...the number doesn't really matter to me. I just want to get all the moves out of the way, separate the divisions and get on with the new college athletics world.

Clarence

1 Like

Good to see Mizzou doing well in basketball year 1 in the SEC. Their football results had to be a disappointment, but I think in the long run they will be solid.

As for expansion, I see several full time TV networks blanketing the nation and driving any major shifts in conference realignment. B1G started things with their own cable network and within a short time gave their schools a revenue differential between most everyone else.

SEC was able to grow financially without an established cable network, so I see a true SEC TV network driving the next surge in revenue growth along with the related conference team additions (into NC, VA).

The thing I've found about SEC versus B12, is I am genuinely interested in watching other SEC schools play and keeping up with their team news (why I like MrSEC.com!). In B12, other than having fun watching Mike Leach's Texas Tech team throw the ball around, I usually found myself just rooting against all the other B12 teams.

If I am not alone on that perspective, then the SEC network will have a leg up by having viewers that are interested in watching the entire conference instead of just one school (sorry LHN).

The other is building year round programming, which brings me back to Mizzou basketball. If Mizzou, UK and a couple other SEC teams can maintain/regain a national presence, adding some ACC basketball schools that are good fits for the SEC will be a huge revenue driver.

It will happen, the question is will it happen sooner or later. It's the Delaney versus Slive chess match.

AllTideUp

@Clarence I think that's also one of the things that will make the SEC Network very successful across the footprint. There is mutual interest in how everyone else is doing. I also think the overall quality of baseball and softball will help the league as well. The Big Ten doesn't really have that going for them so their sports coverage doesn't offer much when basketball season ends.

Along with that, there are plenty of opportunities to create "30 for 30" style documentaries that highlight the conference's history and some of the really interesting stories out there. I think a lot of fans will gobble it up.

buddha22

@AllTideUp @Clarence The breadth of quality SEC sports lends itself considerably well to fans picking up the SEC Network. In a kansas suburb of KC, MO the cable providers have BTN but it pays BTN just a fraction of what it would if they had a conference team in wither state, especially the MO cable households. I noticed that gets lost in the translation alot...whether you watch it or not, if it is part of the cable package for the carrier the network gets paid, quite a difference between conference team in state or not. Viewership/Ratings effect things in a different way, but are also powerful in negotiations.

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