The University of Missouri’s future with the Big 12 Conference is far from settled, but a series of decisions and announcements this week made one thing certain: Missouri has other options, and it’s finally decided to give them a closer look.
The UM System Board of Curators unanimously voted to grant Chancellor Brady Deaton power to explore alternate conference affiliation Tuesday. The announcement came after nearly four hours of a closed-door session between the board and Missouri athletic director Mike Alden.
Deaton also announced he would be stepping down as chairman of the Big 12 Board of Directors in order to avoid “perceived or actual conflict of interest” as he turns his focus solely to Missouri’s future.
“It underscores his singular focus on what is best for MU,” Interim UM System President Stephen J. Owens said.
Both Texas A&M and Oklahoma made similar moves earlier this fall, but only Texas A&M succeeded in leaving the Big 12. The Aggies’ departure was briefly put on hold after Baylor led a legal movement to stop the move, but last week the school became the 13th member of the Southeastern Conference.
With the SEC potentially in need of a 14th member, the conference and Missouri have been entwined in rumors since the beginning of the entire process. The SEC officially denied rumors it had already extended an invite to MU but otherwise has declined any further comment.
Deaton also declined to comment about talks with the SEC, only to say the school is “exploring options generally.” However, it seems unlikely Missouri would make such an announcement Tuesday if it didn’t already have a particular conference in mind. A Missouri source told the Associated Press on Wednesday that the Big Ten remains the school’s top choice, but that the conference has shown no interest.
But even if the SEC is interested in adding in Missouri, the Birmingham News cited two anonymous sources on Thursday saying the school doesn’t yet have the necessary nine majority votes to get an official invite. This could be because the conference wants to wait and explore other options, as both Maryland and Virginia Tech have been rumored as possible members.
SEC commissioner Mike Silve met with conference athletic directors Wednesday, but spokesman Charles Bloom said in a statement that the meeting was held simply “to integrate Texas A&M into the Southeastern Conference and plan for a 13-team schedule for all sports in 2012-13.”
Deaton met with a group Wednesday to begin the process of researching Missouri’s options, but wouldn’t give an estimate of how long the process would take.
“That will require analysis and communication, and that will take some time,” Deaton said.
While Missouri takes time to decide its own future, the Big 12 conference has already begun fortifying its membership to ensure stability.
The Big 12 voted Thursday to formally invite TCU into the conference, and sources told ESPN.com the school would likely accept the offer. The Big 12 released a statement confirming the unanimous vote and discussions with TCU earlier Thursday afternoon, but also stated the University of Missouri decided to sit out of the voting process.
Meanwhile, the Big 12 Conference also announced Thursday its board of directors had agreed to a formal grant of television rights for a minimum of six years. By stating “no member institution branded outlet” could broadcast high school games, the deal clears up the biggest issue members had with Texas’ Longhorn Network. The University of Missouri did not participate in this vote either, on the advice of legal counsel.
MU interim president Stephen J. Owens said on Tuesday making such “irrevocable commitments” to the conference was not something Missouri was comfortable with.
“We don’t fault the Big 12 for asking for that,” Owens said. “It’s something it should be doing in order to provide stability. But because we are currently faced with making a long-term commitment to the Big 12, now is the time to explore options to fully understand where we are before locking into a long-term commitment.”
