BreakawayZou83

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That’s 16 years ago, not a soul in Missouri at that time believed the SEC was a legitimate option and the B12 was taking on water.

It’s well known the B10 offered junior membership, we didn’t take it. If we wanted to be in so bad, we would have been.

The SEC was both our yacht and life boat. We’d never leave because:
1. Grateful to this league

2. We’ve been here for 15 years. An entire generation has only known SEC football.

3. The intensity, drama and passion is unparalleled. At the end of the day we all want to be entertained and this is the best. We know what pro sports looks like, this is an epic complement.

4. Matchups - the B10 offers us Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. That’s the only 3 guys that would move the dial for the nominal fan. We play Illinois already. We have no history with Iowa and beating Nebraska now is like beating up a 60 year old man who is still wearing his letter jacket. It means something, but nothing like it used to. I’d rather watch Mizzou play the SEC. Give us another 15 years and perhaps these threads will get laughed off the board when we are 3rd gen.

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Excellent summary. I'd add one more:

5. The SEC has been excellent for Mizzou's football program. Go find a photo of Faurot Field and our training facilities from 2011 before we joined the SEC compared to now. That $750 million or so invested during our SEC tenure simply wouldn't have happened if we were still in the Big 12, or even the B1G. Look at the talent composite on our teams compared to Pinkel's best Big 12 squads. We have exciting SEC road trips that our fans want to make. Likewise, our fans are excited to host SEC fanbases.

I think this board (and SEC fanbases generally) underestimate how much Mizzou loves the SEC.

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Is this a match up top to bottom based on last year’s finish or just a pairing of most compelling matchups?

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Either way, it will be awesome. Makes more sense to do it based on last season's finish and the B1G just has to leave out its bottom two (unless the SEC is about to expand to 18 or both are moving to 20...)

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If we could go back to the original Big 8 I'd be all for it. Since we can't Mizzou is better off in the SEC.

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I wouldn’t. Rose-tinted goggles. Our program historically struggled in the Big Eight/Big 12, outside of the 60s with Devine and the second half of the 00s with Pinkel. The SEC has undeniably elevated our program and the games are simply better. Sure, I miss playing ku every year. And it would be nice to have Nebraska on the schedule. But this is simply better.

To play devil's advocate: the loser of that 2007 game now has only the Capital One Bowl ahead despite being one of the best teams in the country. (and Florida lost to a shitty 8-4 Michigan team, probably in no small part because they didn't give a shite).

I’ll be the optimist. The FCS has done a 24-team playoff for years and it rules. Even before the CFP, the non-BCS bowls were mostly a joke. Now, we should dump the SEC Championship Game in light of this, but it won’t happen because it prints money.

All this shows me is that the Aggy, Arkansas, and Auburn fanbases are totally defeated and resigned to their fates.

And they think they’re escaping the ACC. That’s gonna cost them $75 million (or more) if done sooner.

Y'all were more fun when you hired guys like Ed O and Miles.

I remember a couple fun games during the Pinkel era when they had Dexter McCluster - he was incredible but not enough for them to get it done. They had a bigger back in tandem with him, but I can’t remember who it was.

ETA: I was thinking of Green-Ellis, he ran all over us

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People always bring up Memphis but every time they are put on the table, they are almost always turned away unanimously. They look good on the field but their financials even with FedEx supporting them are horrible

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If (when) the top ACC programs leave that conference, it is almost inevitable that the ACC and Big 12 will attempt to raid one another. If it's the Big 12 that loses members to the ACC, I have to imagine that Memphis makes the cut to backfill. I can't think of four better options - Washington State, Oregon State, and USF make sense. Maybe Colorado State or UNLV? It gets bleak pretty quickly.