Don't Go To The Big Ten Mizzou!

The thought of the Missouri Tigers in the Big Ten disgusts me. Missouri stay in the Big 12. Or at least don’t join the Big Ten. The Big Ten is inferior in football and basketball. I know this is simply about dollars and hurt feelings. You want the cash that comes from the Big Ten network and how they more equitably distribute income than the Big 12 does. I get it. Money rules the world and especially colleges. Rumor has it your upset over the minor bowls you’ve had to go to recently including being left out of the BCS after going 11-2 and winning the Big 12 North in favor of Kansas, a team you’d beaten that season.

Leaving for the Big Ten destroys one of the best rivalries in college athletics. Missouri and Kansas are meant to compete. It’s over 100 year old tradition and it may well be able to continue but taking out the conference bragging rights aspect will drastically diminish the rivalry. Remember wins where Missouri kept Kansas from winning a conference championship or kept the Jayhawks in the conference cellar? Those will all be gone if you go to the Big Ten.

The money would be great in the Big Ten with their own network but it ruins your product. Their football isn’t that good though. It has big name programs but outside of Ohio State, it doesn’t have a national contender every season like the Big 12 does with Oklahoma and Texas.

You had the chance to take the BCS selection out of the hands of the bowl committees by beating Oklahoma in that Big 12 Championship game. Stop blaming others for your fate there. Sure you deserved the bid but you could have beaten OU and taken the automatic spot reserved for the Big 12 Champion. Instead you got dominated and the bowls did what you’re trying to do now. They went for the money. They selected a team that they thought would generate more ticket and merchandise sales and draw a bigger TV rating.

The Big 12 can be saved. Who cares if Nebraska leaves? That’s not a huge loss. They’re a storied program but they’re not the national power they once were. They can be replaced. If you stay in the Big 12, the conference could add TCU, Houston, Colorado State or Boise State and not miss a beat. The Big 12 turns out a national title contender every season and provides great league games. The Big Ten doesn’t care about the university’s mission or even the athletic program; they just care about the television markets of Kansas City and St. Louis. They just want to use you to add to the subscriber base of their network, nothing more.

Football recruiting will suffer as well. No longer will you be able to get as many talented players from the state of Texas. Since you won’t be playing Texas schools, they’re going to lose interest in a mediocre Big Ten program early on in the recruiting process. Ohio and Pennsylvania have dozens of talented players each year but you’re going to be bottom feeders there for years in the recruiting pool. Thinking you’ll just swoop in and land blue chippers who’ve dreamed of going to Ohio State, Michigan or Penn State is naïve. What happens then to your football program when you’re not getting as talented a roster each year with mediocre coaching? You’ll be at the bottom of the Big Ten.

Missouri if you leave for the Big Ten, I’m staying put and not going with you. I don’t mind if you move conferences but you should stick with the Jayhawks and preserve this classic rivalry. If you’re a member of the Big Ten, I’ll never buy a ticket to an event you’re involved in, Tiger merchandise or donate anything to your university or athletic program. Seriously, don’t be a sell out and stick with the Big 12 or find a new home other than the Big Ten.