Missouri Tigers to join the SEC in 2012

By Kevin Kelley -

SECThe SEC has announced that they have accepted the Missouri Tigers as their 14th member effective July 1, 2012.

Missouri is the second school to be added to the Southeastern Conference this year. Texas A&M accepted an invitation to join in September.

Although no announcement was made, it is likely that Missouri will be placed in the SEC East with Texas A&M in the SEC West. That would keep the divisions balanced and keep a current member from having to switch.

The Tigers leave behind the Big 12, a conference they have competed in since it began in 1996. Prior to that, Missouri was a member of the Big Eight Conference from 1928 to 1995. Missouri won a share of the Big 12 North championship three times and won or shared the Big Eight championship six times.

SEC Release:

“The Presidents and Chancellors of the Southeastern Conference are pleased to welcome the University of Missouri to the SEC,” said Dr. Bernie Machen, President of the SEC Presidents and Chancellors and president of the University of Florida.  “The University of Missouri is a prestigious academic institution with a strong athletic tradition and a culture similar to our current institutions.”

“The Southeastern Conference is a highly successful, stable, premier athletic conference that offers exciting opportunities for the University of Missouri,” said Chancellor Brady J. Deaton. “In joining the SEC, MU partners with universities distinguished for their academic programs and their emphasis on student success. The SEC will provide our student-athletes with top flight competition and unparalleled visibility. We came to this decision after careful consideration of the long term best interests of our university.  We believe the Southeastern Conference is an outstanding home for the Mizzou Tigers, and we take great pride in our association with this distinguished league.”

“I am pleased to officially welcome the University of Missouri to the SEC family on behalf of our presidents, chancellors, athletics directors, students and fans,” said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.  “Missouri is an outstanding academic institution with a strong athletic program.  We look forward to having the Tigers compete in our league starting in 2012.”

Comments (19)

Your all a f***ing bunch of dumbass f*** ups!!!!! Missouri is not located in the south east mother****ers!!! ****ing retards!!!! Your ****ing up our conferance ****heads….

Comment edited by admin for profanity.

Missouri not in the southeast, well last time I looked neither was Arkansas, Louisiana nor South Carolina. Who ever thinks Missouri is a northern state flunked history and geography and from where I’m from, “Missouri”….we are considered “Mid South”, and we have more southern draw in our voice than that of a Georgian or Alabamian.

If griping about geographical differences is your forte, your no fan of SEC sports or NCAA sports period. THIS, Missourian bleeds “CRIMSON-CARDINAL” red. But, is so glad to see his home state Missouri now affiliated with the absolute best college conference in the NCAA..the SEC.

ROLL TIDE & M I Z-Z O U!

Welcome to the SEC Mizzou! You should fit well with the East Division. I believe you can rise to the level of competition you will be facing. You are a southern team and deserve to be here. Anyone who is brave enough to join the strongest conference in all of football has a good chance of be successful. So good luck to you and I look forward to seeing you in the Championship game someday. Just try not to beat up on Bama too bad, LOL

Missouri borders 3 SEC East schools’ states: Kentucky, Tennessee (and Vandy) and would only border Arkansas from SEC West. Each SEC team has one so-called natural or historic out-of-division rival (ex. GA-Aubie; Bama-Tenn) and Arkansas will probably be scheduled to play Mizzou as such, as Arkansas has an ongoing rivalry with Texas A & M which will become divisional, and their short history in the SEC does not bind them in a strong historic rivalry with any team from the SEC East. Missouri borders 9 states and is center of US, southern part of state in and near Ozarks is very South.

Double-checked that: Missouri actually borders 8 states – most of any in US. With Columbia near center of state and Mizzou as first public university west of the Mississippi River (UGA is oldest located anywhere in US), they are a good fit for the SEC and a good enough fit for SEC East. If SEC expands further in future (Va Tech?, FSU?), I expect that to happen on or near the highly-populated East Coast, and realignment then may move Mizzou to SEC West.

I hope this turns out for the good of an expansion. I can’t wait to see how this first season with the two teams go. Good luck to both teams and enjoy the first season in SEC. Especially to the Aggie nation. You will need it to follow in next years schedule following the outcome of this year. From a fan in the dawg nation I do wish you all the best and welcome you to the SEC a whole new horizon and nightmare in a sense.

I am going to state history, not football. I do not think some people above know either. Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas are OLD SOUTH. Just as much as anybody else in the SEC. Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia and Maryland were considered BORDER STATES. In fact, Lincoln seized and replaced Missouri and Kentucky legislatures to avoid them from joining the confederacy. I could go on but Missouri is South enough for me and welcome in the SEC along with Texas A&M.