My opinion on the Mizzou realignment process

I've given a lot of thought to the Mizzou/Big 12/SEC issue. Piecing together the relatively little information that is out there, I *think* I have a pretty good idea of what is going on. When the 45 page Missouri document was leaked to the AP, everyone knew the leaker had an agenda. At the time I thought that it was to give Mizzou boosters a hard sell on the SEC and to let the SEC know that they were very interested. One thing that was lost on me at the time was the mention that if Mizzou leaves after the 2011-12 season, the Big 12 will want a buyout fee of $25.9 million, but if they stuck around another year, it would *only* be $10.4 million. I say the Big 12 "will want" because neither Colorado nor Nebraska paid close to "retail" which is what the two numbers I just quoted are. In fact, Nebraska thought that the conference bylaws were written badly enough that they were tempted to not pay a dime.
Reality: There Are No Barriers To Missouri in SEC

Colorado was in this same situation last year. They were prepared to play in the Big 12 for an extra season. Wiser heads prevailed, and we let them out a year early at no extra cost. Who wants an unhappy, lame duck team in their conference? Well, after Chuck Neinas' quote yesterday, it's obvious to me that he does. But why?

There have been several schools reported to be interested in the Big 12, but the only name that I have seen that they are interested in is Louisville. Keep in mind that BYU turned them down before they invited TCU. I don't know why they want Louisville, but I've read it several places. Keep in mind that Louisville is currently in the Big East, which has a 27 month wait before teams can leave. Also keep in mind that the Big 12 must have at least ten teams or their TV money is in danger, and you can see why Neinas would be holding Mizzou hostage. He is desperate.

I am convinced that Mizzou is currently trying to negotiate an exit from the Big 12 after this season at a discount and that Neinas is playing hardball over the buyout terms. I think that his statement yesterday “If Missouri were to change horses, it wouldn’t be for 2012 anyway,” was a statement to Mizzou that he is not backing down. After all, if they were to pay the $25.9 million, there wouldn't be a damn thing that he could do to make them play in the Big 12 next season.

All of this puts the SEC in a bad spot as it has been widely reported that scheduling for a 13 team SEC is turning out to be a nightmare.
NCAA Rule Makes SEC's 13 Team Schedule A Virtual Impossibility

Just my two cents.

I hope that Mizzou can work their way through the process in time to participate in the SEC for 2012-2013. For this to happen, they might have to do what Nebraska almost did and count on the conference bylaws not holding up in court.