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University of Missouri officials are meeting on Thursday and Friday to discuss the search for a new university President and it is rumored they will discuss an athletic move to the Southeastern Conference.
A NY Times article this week cited an anonymous university source who said the move was imminent. The source said that while many of the meetings this week are marked as closed work sessions, that the process will begin for the university's application to the SEC.
Rumors of Missouri moving to the SEC began during summer speculation that several Big 12 schools were going to the Pac16 and Texas A&M's announcement that it would leave the Big 12 and pursue joining the SEC conference.
Texas A&M officially announced they would join the SEC in September, and speculation began that the conference would need a 14th team. Missouri, along with ACC schools Clemson and Florida State, and Big East powerhouse West Virginia were all rumored to be the 14th team, but the SEC shut down some speculation after announcing they were going to stick to 13 teams for now.
In late September, the Big 12 announced that many of the member schools were not leaving for the Pac16 and they would seek expansion. Then Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe resigned from his position and interim commissioner Chuck Neinas was announced.
Just two weeks later, Missouri held a closed door meeting with the Board of Curators and it was announced they would seek options for a new conference.
There has been mixed reaction to the announcement. Some Missouri fans have said they think a move to the SEC would hurt Missouri's athletic programs and that they would not be competitive in major sports like football. Others think the move is a good one. Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, an MU graduate, says she has mixed emotions about the possible move. She said if the university does make the decision to move, they need to ensure a continued rivalry with Kansas
A report by the Associated Press on ESPN showed the university stands to gain at least $12 million with a move to the SEC.
The Big 12 wants member schools to give them a six year committment. It voted last week to add TCU to the conference. Missouri abstained from voting.
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