COLUMBIA, MO. • Mizzou chancellor Brady Deaton, the chairman of the board of the Big 12 Conference, said Saturday night that member institutions had "strongly conveyed" to Texas A&M their unanimous desire that A&M remain in the Big 12 but that the conference is prepared to move aggressively if A&M leaves for the Southeastern Conference as it appears bent on doing.
Speaking after a conference call with the other institutional leaders, including Texas A&M's R. Bowen Loftin, Deaton said the other nine had reaffirmed "long-term, unequivocal and unconditional commitments to the league" and believed they had addressed a key issue among A&M's apparent reasons for signaling it wants out.
Specifically, he said, the board reiterated that it had embraced the stated conference stance that any interest the new Longhorn Network has in attempting to feature a conference game could only be enabled with consent of the other conference school and the conference office.
Deaton also took a conciliatory stance toward A&M, declining to criticize it for its apparent breach of a vow of unity given a year ago amid the departures of Colorado and Nebraska and renewed just weeks ago.
"No one points a finger at anyone here," he said, adding, "We understand some of the differences that there are among members of the conference."
If those differences ultimately do result in A&M's departure, many wonder if the conference can remain in place with nine members and the perception that it is constantly at odds with one another.
But even steeped in the latest turmoil, Deaton said he believes members are "developing a framework" for "open, vibrant discussions" and added, "I genuinely can say that the entire conference is very excited about where we're going."
Deaton did not elaborate on whether the conference would seek to re-expand if A&M left, but it was clear that was his meaning, likely back to 10, when he said it was ready to move aggressively.
As for where Mizzou itself is going, the subject of ample speculation on Saturday, Deaton said, "I know there are all kind of rumors out there, but I can assure you that the University of Missouri is totally committed to the Big 12 in case there is any question."
His words echoed remarks made Saturday morning by MU athletics director Mike Alden, who emphatically said no Missouri representative had spoken to the SEC as some had suggested.
"No. The answer to your question is no," Alden said. "I want to make sure: No."
Moments later, ESPN's Doug Gottlieb posted on Twitter that a "high-ranking" source at A&M confirmed the Aggies will soon be SEC-bound and added that Clemson, Florida State and Missouri also are "likely to join."
Told of Gottlieb's post, Alden seemed more baffled than miffed and said, "There's nothing. ... No, no, no."
Gottlieb later back-tracked, and Pete Thamel of The New York Times tweeted that a "high-ranking SEC official just called to say (angrily) that any report involving Clemson, FSU and Missouri is totally wrong."
If the Big 12 doesn't remain workable, Mizzou's options aren't at all clear.
But while Alden denied any dalliances with the SEC and indicated the same about contact with other conferences, he said that shouldn't be "misconstrued as not working" on the situation.
Just what that means, and how it will play out, is anybody's guess. And that's even the case with Texas A&M, driven as it might be to ditch the Big 12 and the University of Texas in particular.
While the school's Board of Regents is prepared to vote on realignment Monday, an SEC official told Thamel that he believed there was a "30- to 40-percent chance" SEC presidents would rebuff A&M the day before.
And Orangebloods.com, the Rivals.com site covering UT, reported there could be severe financial consequences in play if A&M tries to leave:
"Multiple sources said the 13-year Fox television deal signed by the Big 12 in April for $1.17 billion can be voided if Texas A&M leaves. The sources said if the SEC, which has had ongoing conversations with Texas A&M since Mike Slive was on the College Station campus during last summer's realignment, could be seen as the instigator in A&M's actions, it could constitute a $1 billion lawsuit against the SEC as well as a lawsuit for damages against individuals involved."
Although Deaton said it was his understanding the TV contract wasn't necessarily in jeopardy, that possibility and a multi-million dollar sum withheld from A&M as an exit penalty could weigh heavily on SEC and A&M's actions.
On the surface, anyway, the Big 12 had seemed stabilized and energized since the departure of Nebraska and Colorado at the end of the school year until ESPN recently clarified its intention to broadcast on the Longhorn Network high school football games targeting UT recruits.
The idea rankled the rest of the conference, and the Big 12 put a moratorium on it before the NCAA struck it down altogether last week. But A&M wasn't appeased.
Should A&M depart, Alden believes the Big 12 could be "absolutely viable" with nine members. A key to that would be how media partners assess the new conference stock.
That was among the topics on a conference call earlier Saturday among Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe and nine of 10 athletics directors. Various reports indicated Texas A&M's Bill Byrne, in Europe with the A&M basketball team, did not participate.
If A&M goes, Orangebloods.com reported, the sentiment was that the league should add a school to get back to 10 and that initial targets would include Air Force, BYU, Houston and TCU.
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