[DJ's left nut]

Stolen from Tigerboard - A fair breakdown of where we stand right now re: possible scenarios.

*The #1 most popular rumor on here is the one coming from a guy who calls himself TTRaider, who supposedly has an inside source named "Mondo". He says Mizzou will join Texas A&M to the SEC this week, and TT, UT, OU, and OSU will go to the Pac 12.

Why to believe him: he's been remarkably accurate in his predictions of what would happen with Texas A&M, so maybe he knows someone who knows something.

Why not to believe him:
1) he talks as if he knows exactly what's going to happen, even though no one else seems to. That sort of confidence often points to someone trying to seem like he knows more than he actually knows (think mubobby).
2) Just because his source knows all about Texas A&M doesn't mean he's got the inside scoop inside Missouri's administration.
3) TTRaider is from Texas Tech. Texas Tech very much wants Mizzou to go to the SEC, because that opens the door for them to go to the Pac 16. Right now Mizzou is the main obstacle to TT to get in. Rumor has it OU wants MU instead of TT in the Pac 16, and Mizzou is in most ways a stronger candidate.

*Rumor source #2: OU message boards/ OU radio guys. I don't remember their names, you can track it down. The general rumor here is that OU wants to bring MU with them to the Pac 16, and is in a fight with UT about it. UT wants to bring TT.

Why to believe it: It seems totally credible that OU would be loyal to an old Big 8 rival and UT would be loyal to an old SWC rival. OU may even get some advantage in this argument because Mizzou is such a better school than TT.

Why not to believe it: Would OU go through the trouble of fighting for Mizzou if Mizzou didn't even want to join the Pac 16? If Mizzou is all in with the SEC as has been said by TTRaider and others, then it would be pointless for OU to fight for this. So is Mizzou committed to the SEC right now, or aren't they?

*Rumor source #3: Phoenix and unnamed tigerboard TBIMers saying that Mizzou has been dealing with the SEC for weeks and has an offer lined up. Done deal, right?

Why to believe it: There's all kinds of reasons the SEC would want Mizzou and Mizzou would want the SEC. It wouldn't surprise me if there have been negotiations.

Why not to believe it: Why would Mizzou commit to the SEC before it has explored all other options? The Big Ten and Pac 16 are far superior academically, and this is supposedly a major concern of MU's administration. Going to the SEC would mean leaving all other Big 8 schools behind. Wouldn't we want to be in a league with other Big 8 schools like OU, OSU, KU, CU, NU, etc?

*Rumor source #4: tigerboard lawyer from Chicago says MU talked to the Big Ten this week and were told that if they joined they'd have to join with a tiered membership. MU officials promptly told them to "go f'k themselves" and now we're going to announce by Wednesday that we're joining the SEC.

Why to believe it: The tiered membership makes sense. Maybe MU doesn't raise the revenue of the Big Ten sufficiently. Maybe the Big Ten doesn't want us that much and assumes we want them a lot.

Why not to believe it: I can't imagine MU would burn bridges with the Big Ten at this point. We're not actually in the SEC yet. That deal could fall through. Why not stay on good terms with the Big Ten and keep our options open. Also, this rumor seems out of keeping with the personality of our administration.

*Rumor source #5: KC/KU media say MU doesn't want to go to the SEC. We'd rather go to the Big East with KU. They say we don't think the SEC is a good fit and like the idea of being able to win our conference regularly.

Why to believe it: Maybe our administration doesn't want to go to the SEC. It would be very difficult to win there. The cultural match isn't great. The academics down there are subpar. It's plausible.

Why not to believe it: But the Big East? We'd turn down the SEC for the Big East? I don't think so. Big Ten, yes. Pac 16, maybe. ACC, possibly. But the Big East? I don't think so.

*Rumor source #6: Chip Brown says Mizzou is in talks with the Big Ten, SEC, Pac 12, and Big East. Meaning we're shopping around for the best offer we can get, and we could end up in any of those 4.

Why believe it: Because it makes perfect sense for us to do this.

Why not believe it: Because Chip often parrots whatever Deloss Dodds tells him, and Deloss often tells him his own fantasies, rather than actual facts. Still, Chip is right sometimes.