In the summer of 2010, Missouri was telling anyone who would listen that it was a ” proud member of the Big 12 ,” even though its desire to leave for the Big Ten was the league’s worst-kept secret. Today, 17 months later, the Tigers are even more proud to be Big 12 expatriates. And who could blame them? Truth is, the Big 12 only has itself to blame for this disaster, the loss of a second founding member of the Big Eight (Colorado joined in 1947), which turned into the Big 12 when four Texas schools came to town. The departures have happened in those tumultuous 17 months. The frustration was obvious this past summer as Tigers coach Gary Pinkel repeatedly voiced his anger with the Big 12. “Obviously, we have some issues in our league. When you have Nebraska leave one year. Colorado leaves. Also now Texas A&M. Three really good football teams,” Pinkel said in a September radio interview. “We’ve got some issues. Without question there’s some issues that other leagues don’t have. You don’t hear anything about any other league in the country having these kind of problems.” So, the Tigers packed their bags and went to any other league in the country. A sizable sect of the fan population might have preferred the Big Ten, but hey, if the SEC needs a 14th, here come the Tigers. The Tigers were looking for a way into the Big Ten last year, but the SEC provided a way out of the Big 12. A year ago, while Texas and Oklahoma shopped for new leagues and the Big Ten shut the door behind Nebraska, Missouri was left waiting to hear its fate alongside Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Baylor. Not exactly ideal company. Now, it’s leaving to join programs like LSU, Alabama, Tennessee and Florida, who have been glued together since 1932, 25 years after the Big Eight was formed. The SEC added South Carolina and Arkansas back in 1991 and threw Texas A&M and Missouri a helping hand for 2012 to leave a league filled with infighting and departures. Stability won’t be a concern anymore for the Tigers. Question a cultural fit or the idea that Missouri can compete all you’d like. The most important thing about the SEC for Missouri is that it isn’t the Big 12. Nervous meetings and guessing games about the intentions of fellow conference members are over. Missouri is a better cultural fit in the Big 12, where it will leave behind a century of history and possibly its fiercest rival, Kansas, where the mutual hatred burns 365 days a year. The Big 12 is a better competitive fit, too, with only a pair of historical powers left in the league to climb over to reach big success. The Tigers, though, are willing to test that culture and competition to get out of the Big 12. The Big 12, while it was busy sorting itself out, showed Missouri a terrifying future of constantly shifting leagues and a possible future in the Big East, where three members left in the past month and six more appear to be on the way, each a worse geographical and cultural fit than the other. Boise State? Houston? Can’t wait to see you guys at the annual clambake in Rhode Island ! The smell of desperation is among the most unattractive. The Tigers got a whiff and didn’t want to risk the chance at a second.
Excerpt from:
Big 12 only has self to blame for Mizzou exit
Filed under Football by on Nov 6th, 2011. Comment. 
All those Alabama fans hoping to see more of Trent Richardson this season will get their wish in the Crimson Tide’s opener, although it’s not the way anybody wanted it to happen. Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram will miss Saturday’s game against San Jose State after injuring his left knee in Monday’s practice and undergoing arthroscopic surgery Tuesday morning. It’s Richardson’s show now, and it may be his show for most of the first month of the season. At this point, Ingram is only being ruled out for the opener, but there’s no way Alabama coach Nick Saban will push him back before he’s ready. First and foremost, Saban isn’t going to do anything that would jeopardize Ingram’s NFL career. Plus, if you push Ingram back before the knee has had time to properly heal, you risk the chance of losing him again later in the season or playing with a version of Ingram that’s only 60 or 70 percent for the remainder of the season. Alabama will be smarter than that. The Crimson Tide would love to have him back for the Penn State game the second week of the season, but that might be wishful thinking. Getting the Nittany Lions at home helps, too. Alabama shouldn’t need him to beat Duke the third week of the season, which means the real goal may be getting him back for that trip to Arkansas on Sept. 25. Every player is different when it comes to recovering from injuries. Ingram’s track record suggests that he’ll be back sooner rather than later. Either way, this is an example of why depth is so valuable in this league, but it’s also a reminder of how quickly that depth can disappear. Alabama is now one injury away from playing with a running back who’s never taken a snap. Redshirt freshman Eddie Lacy is plenty talented, but he’s never played. Of course, a lot of teams out there would love to have a talent like Richardson to fall back on after their starter goes down. Richardson was already poised to get more carries than he did last season (145), but he now becomes the Crimson Tide’s workhorse until Ingram returns. As a freshman, the most Richardson carried the ball in a game was 19 times, and that came in the BCS National Championship Game win over Texas. In fact, in seven games last season, Richardson had fewer than 10 carries. He might have 10 carries by the end of the first quarter on Saturday.
Excerpt from:
Alabama won’t rush Ingram back
Filed under Football, News by on Aug 31st, 2010. Comment.
