Concerns about Missouri staying in the SEC if accepted

I've seen a lot of folks speculating that even if Missouri accepts an SEC invitation, the long held ambition of the Missouri faculty to go to the Big Ten means that they would leave the SEC the very moment the Big Ten extends an offer. While I have no doubt that there would be some Missouri academics who would feel that way, I don't think it's likely to happen.

Currently, there is nothing in the SEC bylaws to prevent a school from leaving, and I hope it always stays that way--if you don't want to be in the SEC, then you're perfectly free to go. However, if the SEC does start its own conference network (and that seems to be the consensus opinion as to why A&M was such an attractive target--to expand the footprint for cable markets), and if the schools own an equity stake in the network, then it will be very diffcult for an SEC member to walk away in the future. They would effectively be giving away any equity they have in the network, and I firmly believe that once an SEC network is up and running, it will leave the BTN and Pac 12 networks in the dust. So, while their may be no contractual bar on Missouri leaving in the future, practically, it would be very difficult for them to do so. I am sure that they are aware of this, and that is one reason why the Missouri folks who are dreaming of the Big Ten are leaking against this move--they know that if Missouri goes to the SEC, the Big Ten will never happen.