Big 12 and SEC agree to bowl game for their champions

In a Rose Bowl type deal, the Big 12  and SEC have come to a five year agreement to have their conference champions play in a bowl game starting in 2014.

If the league champions are involved in the four team national championship playoff then “another deserving team” from the conference would be selected. With the Rose Bowl locked into a Pac-12/Big Ten matchup, this would leave the Big East and ACC out in the cold. The agreement also makes those four conferences the power players in college football.


“Our goal is to provide the fans across the country with a New Year’s Day prime-time tradition,” acting Big 12 Conference Chuck Neinas said. “This is a landmark agreement between two of the most successful football conferences during the BCS era to stage a post-season event. The creation of this game featuring the champions of the Big 12 and SEC will have tremendous resonance in college football.”


“A new January bowl tradition is born,” SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said. “This new game will provide a great match-up between the two most successful conferences in the BCS era and will complement the exciting post-season atmosphere created by the new four-team model. Most importantly, it will provide our student-athletes, coaches and fans with an outstanding bowl experience.”


I don’t buy into a the hub-bub about providing anyone with a fantastic bowl experience. It’s all about the money and if the top two teams aren’t involved in the SEC/Big 12 bowl, then everyone else in the conference that is bowl eligible get pushed up the bowl ladder. Which means more money for their respective conferences.

Panthers rookie Joe Adams isn’t fazed by NFL speed

When it comes to the game of football every level you advance the speed of the game is faster. College is faster than high school, NFL is faster than college. If your former Arkansas receiver Joe Adams the speed of the NFL is no big deal.

Adams proclaimed that since he was on the mighty SEC he’s already used to seeing this kind of speed.

“It’s not overwhelming at all. I played in the SEC, where guys are pretty much this fast,” Adams said. “Now, they’re probably not this big.” 


Memo to Adams. The NFL is a different game. The SEC might be the fastest conference in college but in the NFL you get to play against others that are better or just as good. Also just as fast and they didn’t all play in the SEC.

Adams claims to have run a 4.25 40 time but that doesn’t mean jack in the NFL. Everyone is fast when you get to the league.

Missouri places eye catching billboards in other SEC states

There are some that figure Missouri’s football program might fall back to the pack since they are moving to the SEC. There is one thing that could change that perception and that’s recruiting, the lifeblood to any program. The Tigers don’t have much of a tradition before head coach Gary Pinkel came to Missouri, but he has turned things around in a big way. They’ll be one of two new entrants in the SEC and have figured out a way to attract high level recruits from the traditional SEC powers. The Tigers have placed billboards along highways in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Dallas, and Memphis.    

The traditional SEC powers have kept those kids home and Missouri wants a piece of the action.

“Oh yes, I get text messages and emails from Mizzou people that live in that area and that region,” head coach Gary Pinkel told the AJC. “They talk about it and say how excited they are to see it.”


There are 16 billboards, including eight that have been placed out of state. There are three in Georgia, including two in Atlanta and one near Valdosta, while one each in Tampa, Fla., Dallas, Birmingham, Ala., Jacksonville, Fla., and Memphis. What was the idea behind the billboards?


“It’s to market Missouri,” Pinkel said. “We’ll be in Georgia recruiting. We’ve got great respect for the high school football in Georgia, especially in the Atlanta area. We’re just marketing our brand name a little bit. We’re going to get there and actively recruit … and we’re excited about it.”  


It’s a good idea to market the Missouri brand and make inroads into kids’ homes who otherwise might not think about going to Missouri. Kids see the billboards and become curious about the school. Not a bad move by any means.

“We’ve done a complete analysis of players that sign with BCS schools out of Georgia, and certainly out of the Atlanta area,” Pinkel said. “The size and production of SEC and BCS is parallel to the Metroplex area in Dallas. The numbers out of Atlanta and Dallas are nearly identical. Both have great high school football.


“What you do is go down there and figure out how many players from Georgia stay in the SEC and stay in the ACC, and how many leave the state and go elsewhere to play. We’ve got data on these kinds of things. And, if anything, it’s about identifying good players and selling Missouri.


“We want to go down there with a good reputation of winning football games and graduating our athletes. It’s about marketing and developing trust … and slowly and slowly working ourselves into Georgia. We’re excited about doing that.” 


“The facts are, in the last six years, we’re eighth in the BCS with winning in the nation. Those are facts. We’re certainly one of six teams that have won eight or more games in the last seven years. So we win at Missouri, and we consistently win. Over the last six years, we’ve graduated 96-percent of our players. Missouri is a great place and it’s a great college town with 33,000 students. Kids love to go to school here. We’ve got a lot to sell.”


Missouri has become a player in the college football world. Recruiting wise they’ve kept the best players in Kansas City and St. Louis from going elsewhere and have made some connections in talent rich Texas. They won’t get the kids deep in the heart of SEC country immediately but they’ll get some. And if they keep winning it’ll draw even more attention to the school.

The M In Missouri Will Stand For Mediocrity

Missouri will be leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. When you look at the bottom line (money) I’m sure it stands to be a good move, except from a travel standpoint where moving to the Big Ten would’ve made more sense for both parties.

The problem I have is from a sports point of view, especially football. I think Missouri will be able to compete in basketball. They have a traditionally strong program and will be able to hang with most of the teams in the SEC, Kentucky and Florida are the exceptions. The Tigers will strengthen the SEC as a basketball league. They should be able to bring in their share of high profile recruits and finish in the upper division.

Football is a different story. The Tigers have had some recent success in the Big 12 and have gained a reasonable foothold recruiting the talent rich state of Texas. They’ve also been successful in keeping the best in-state kids at home. There is Texas and Oklahoma in the Big 12, but I think it’s easier to recruit against those schools than it will be against LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and the list goes on. And that’s just off the field. I guess it’s time to adopt the SEC style of recruiting. And no I don’t want to hear how (insert school here) is clean and does it right.

On the field I don’t see the Tigers consistently competing with the top tier SEC teams. They can be a dangerous opponent but I just don’t see them beating a loaded Alabama team. Or Florida. Or LSU. It is possible that they could pull off a shocker here and there, but that’s it. Other than that, they just went from being one of the Big 12’s top four teams to being a Texas Tech like program. Someone that will rise up from time to time but will never be a threat to win it all. I know it will piss off Missouri fans, but I see the football team sinking into mediocrity and could ultimately cost Gary Pinkel his job.