Big 10 Report: Conference Realignment

[Mr. Laz]

A source in St. Louis familiar with the situation told NewsCenter 16 Thursday afternoon that Missouri will leave the Big XII and soon join the Big 10. Other schools expected to follow the Tigers are Syracuse, Pitt, Rutgers and Nebraska.

Many have speculated that such an expansion would include Notre Dame but ND athletic director Jack Swarbrick told me today that the Irish prefer to stay independent in football and in the Big East for other sports. Swarbrick said maintaining football Independence is such a part of what Notre Dame is.

He went on to say the Big East is a great partner for the University in other sports.

"We do have to monitor what is going on," Swarbrick said. "There will be significant shifts. "Hopefully we can navigate them by keeping our football independent and keeping our Big East affiliation because that is what we care about."

The move of Syracuse, Pitt and Rutgers to the Big Ten from the Big East could categorically change the landscape of the Big East itself. Thus, what Swarbrick is referring to when stating the University must continue to monitor what is going on.

The interview with Swarbrick was done before the late afternoon announcement.

http://www.wndu.com/sports/headlines/92447574.html

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by hawkchief

Mizzou's been flashing their nasty vagina at the Big Ten for a few years now. If Notre Dame picks the Big Ten, Mizzou will be college-non-grata in the Big XII immediately - they already are. Like pretty-boys Mike Alden and Quin Snyder, Mizzou athletics is nothing more than form over substance. You better pray ND stays Independent, or the Tiggers might be the ones outside, looking in.

And hawkchief shows up to complete the KU douche tour de force.

Vinegar and water are actually oozing out of my monitor now. Excuse me while I go get some paper towels.

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by Wickedson

The Sodd one is funny.

At least 3 mu fans just got a fat chubby and trickled two ounces of hot tiger spooge down their thigh at the mere mention of said pic.

C'mon now. Somebody post it. We'll all get a laugh outta it.

[KcMizzou]

Move to Big Ten would not halt Missouri's commitment to recruiting in Texas


By Mike DeArmond


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When Gary Pinkel took over as Missouri's football coach, he sent two assistants to recruit in Texas. Last year Missouri had six coaches recruiting the Lone Star State. And no matter whether Missouri moves to the Big Ten or stays in the Big 12, that will not change.

"We will always recruit the state of Texas," Missouri recruiting coordinator Dave Yost said on Tuesday in Liberty, where the MU football staff welcomed more than 250 would-be recruits to William Jewell College, a record for the annual camp stop.

"Texas has been a strong, strong deal for us," Yost said. "We started off with two guys in there. Went to three, then to four, then to five, and now we have six. Because of the football talent there and also now because of the name we have down there."

That, of course, is contrary to some of the claims of Texas-based and Texas-fed speculation about whether Missouri will wind up — along with Nebraska — in the expansion-minded Big Ten.

The most common asides the past week — since Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe allegedly issued an ultimatum to Missouri and Nebraska to reveal by 5 p.m. Friday, or June 15 at the latest, whether they are committed to remaining Big 12 members — have been that no one in the Big 12 really cares about Missouri.

It is Nebraska, the claims go, that might trigger a six-team flight from the Big 12 to the Pac-10 if the Cornhuskers receive and accept an offer to join the Big Ten.

Pinkel toed the general party line put forth by those advising Missouri on the best strategy regarding questions about ultimatums and MU's once and future address in the world of big-time college athletics.

"I'm not going to talk speculation," Pinkel said on Tuesday. "As far as I know we're staying in the Big 12. If there is a change, I'll be the first one to talk to you. You can call me at the house."

The response has become almost rote in recent weeks, from Missouri chancellor Brady Deaton to athletic director Mike Alden. On Tuesday afternoon there was a statement from the office of the University of Missouri Board of Curators that the system leaders would make no comment on Thursday or Friday when the board meets in Columbia.

The agenda for those meetings released on Tuesday does not list a Big Ten expansion or Big 12 ultimatum as agenda topics . But the meetings will start with a closed-to-the-media executive session.

Yost was a little more forthcoming than either Pinkel or the Curators, not on which league Missouri may call home, but about the present and immediate future of Texas as a prime recruiting ground for MU football.

"We're a name school in the state of Texas," Yost said. "The best guys in the state of Texas, we don't get them all, but normally our name's listed with them. That's part of being in the Big 12, also part of playing down there, but also being successful."

On its spring roster, Missouri listed 25 players from Texas. Recent MU stars from Texas include quarterback Chase Daniel, linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, defensive lineman Ziggy Hood and wide receiver Danario Alexander.

Pinkel noted that Missouri has expanded its recruiting base within the last year, since the addition of Josh Henson, co-offensive line coach and a former recruiting coordinator at LSU.

Henson has responsibilities in the panhandle of Texas, plus Oklahoma and key connections in Florida.

"We're more appealing now," said Pinkel, whose team won back-to-back Big 12 North Division titles before being beaten out by Nebraska for the division championship last season. "People recognize our name. Our last two quarterbacks (Brad Smith and Daniel) are playing in the NFL now. We have two receivers that were All-American tight ends (Martin Rucker and Chase Coffman). We had three draft picks in the first round the last two years.

"All that stuff is raising us up. We've got a long way to go. But my job is to keep us going, searching for the top."

Despite outside concerns, inside the MU football program, there appears to be little fear that joining the Big Ten or remaining with the Big 12 would alter the prospects of Missouri's future recruiting anywhere.

In recruiting the Class of 2011, according to Rivals.com, Missouri has offers out to from eight to 10 players from Florida, a state in which Missouri has not played a football game since 1988 at Miami.

Additionally, Missouri's current coaching staff — most of the coaches having come with Pinkel from his staff at Toledo — have experience recruiting the fertile Big Ten recruiting grounds of Ohio and Pennsylvania.

"Toledo," as Pinkel pointed out, "is in Ohio. So ..."

So, concerns over Missouri recruiting should it join the Big Ten seem to be an outside supposition masked as a concern.

"As I've been told many times," Yost said, "good recruiters can recruit anywhere. We'll recruit anywhere we can find good players."

http://www.newstimes.com/sports/arti...i-s-516443.php

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

I'm not bitching about the article, smart guy. I'm quoting it to show that your school that is supposedly "basketball royalty" has 3 championships in 100 years. You've got people in here putting KU above Duke and even UCLA.

UCLA has forgotten about more titles than Kansas has ever won, and people are trying to act like KU is somehow above them. Give me a break.

UCLA didn't exactly have competition during their run.

They basically got out of bed and rolled into the Final Four while in the East all the good teams were constantly beating the shit out of each other.

You know this.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

I'm not bitching about the article, smart guy. I'm quoting it to show that your school that is supposedly "basketball royalty" has 3 championships in 100 years. You've got people in here putting KU above Duke and even UCLA.

UCLA has forgotten about more titles than Kansas has ever won, and people are trying to act like KU is somehow above them. Give me a break.

Yeah, I know... that one was TIC after I realized I missed your sarcasm in your original post. It's hard to separate the sarcasm/mocking from the ignorance & stupidity.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by KcMizzou

http://www.newstimes.com/sports/arti...i-s-516443.php

This article and others like it almost sound like Missouri is trying to be "kicked out" of the Big XII so that it's the Big XII who breaks the deal and not MU. It's brilliant if that's the case.

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by KcMizzou

http://www.newstimes.com/sports/arti...i-s-516443.php

"We're a name school in the state of Texas," Yost said. "The best guys in the state of Texas, we don't get them all, but normally our name's listed with them. That's part of being in the Big 12, also part of playing down there, but also being successful."


Sorry, I just wanted to make sure I read that right.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by Wickedson

UCLA didn't exactly have competition during their run.

They basically got out of bed and rolled into the Final Four while in the East all the good teams were constantly beating the shit out of each other.

You know this.

Is there some kind of Rosetta Stone that can be used to translate this stupidity into English? It almost sounds like he's discounting a team that won 7 national titles in a row.

Guess what...If you throw away those seven titles, they STILL have more than KU.

[SPATCH]

Originally Posted by Wickedson

UCLA didn't exactly have competition during their run.

They basically got out of bed and rolled into the Final Four while in the East all the good teams were constantly beating the shit out of each other.

You know this.

I'm not following.

... this makes them a worse basketball school somehow?

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by Wickedson

"We're a name school in the state of Texas," Yost said. "The best guys in the state of Texas, we don't get them all, but normally our name's listed with them. That's part of being in the Big 12, also part of playing down there, but also being successful."


Sorry, I just wanted to make sure I read that right.

Care to take a stab at how many players came to MU from Texas and then got drafted into the NFL in the past 5 years?

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

Care to take a stab at how many players came to MU from Texas and then got drafted into the NFL in the past 5 years?

I dunno 10?

I was just pointing out that fact that everyone recruits Texas. It's not something specialized to Missouri.

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

Care to take a stab at how many players came to MU from Texas and then got drafted into the NFL in the past 5 years?

I was laughing at the fact that everyone recruits Texas. MU is not special in this area.

[KcMizzou]

Originally Posted by Wickedson

I dunno 10?

I was just pointing out that fact that everyone recruits Texas. It's not something specialized to Missouri.

But... didn't you claim that a move to the Big 10 would...

Ah, **** it. I give up.

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

Care to take a stab at how many players came to MU from Texas and then got drafted into the NFL in the past 5 years?

I was laughing at the fact that everyone recruits Texas. MU is not special in this area.

[Frazod]

Apparently Wickedson was really agitated by Saul's last post.