| 10 June 2010
Mizzou might be alright after all.
The sports world has been polluted with so much crap in the last 24 hours it's hard to keep it straight. Yesterday, I made a post about how Mizzou looked like it was on the outside looking in when it comes to conference expansion. After thinking things through a little longer, I think everything is going to be just fine.
All reports are say Mike Alden was very calm yesterday. He, along with everyone else at Mizzou hasn't had much to say about conference realignment. The silence can be frustrating at times for fans. However, yesterday Alden went so far as to say Missouri is in, "a good place." On the verge of getting left out is not a good place. Would he say that if really thought Mizzou was going to be left out?
Why would Mizzou maintain such a strict silence if the Big 12 was about to dissolve and leave Mizzou out in the cold? Wouldn't they be calling the Big 12 South schools pleading them to keep the conference together? Kansas has had to beg other schools to stay because they have no alternatives. Missouri hasn't done that. I don't think Missouri would be playing it so cool it was about to be forced into some second rate conference.
Also, consider the possibility that the Big Ten might expand in waves. They said that was a possibility from the very beginning. First they take Nebraska. The Big 12 South schools have said without Nebraska, the Big 12 will fall apart. They didn't say the same thing about Missouri. So the Big Ten steals Nebraska first, which forces the Big 12 South (minus Baylor, plus CU) to join the PAC-10. At which point, the Big 12 officially falls into chaos. At that point, the Big Ten then scoops up Missouri who not only wouldn't be blamed for ruining the Big 12, but they may not have to pay exit fines for doing so.
In addition, Mizzou is still the same appealing choice to the Big Ten it was months ago. The number of TV sets (the driving factor in all this) in the state hasn't changed, the revenue capabilities of the Mizzou athletic department hasn't changed, and the academic standards of the university have not changed. The only thing that has changed is that more and more "journalists," are in such a hurry to break news that they're doing themselves more harm than good.
Finally, don't believe everything you read. Personally, I think local sites like Powermizzou.com and the Columbia Tribune have a better read on Mizzou than anything you'll hear on ESPN. Also, many of the idiots on sports radio are clueless. Kevin Kietzman has no idea what he's talking about when he says "a bomb has been dropped on Columbia," and people in the Mizzou's athletic department are walking around shocked and dazed. Much more reliable sources say that is far from the truth.
With all the crap out there, it is easy to get worked up. Missouri is getting virtually no love from anybody right now. A lot of that has to do with the fact that Mizzou administrators have remained silent on the whole issue. They're acting professionally and respectfully. Journalists write about people who call them back and Missouri isn't necessarily doing that. In the next few days, things might sound pretty grim. But in the end, I think things will be OK. Missouri's silence might prove to be golden.
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