Deadline for Mizzou from Big 12 reportedly is June 17
Lending clout to what a well-placed college athletics administrator believes could be "kind of a showdown" week in the otherwise relentless rumor mill of expansion chatter, another source familiar with the matter said Tuesday that the Big 12 Conference has given Missouri until June 17 to declare its loyalty and intention to stay in the conference.
The source had no specific knowledge of the same ultimatum being applied to Nebraska, but reports in the Dallas Morning News and Austin (Texas) American-Statesman over the weekend indicated both schools had a deadline of late this week with the possibility of it being extended.
The Big 12's strong-arm tactic is coincidental with this week's already-scheduled meetings of each school's governing bodies — Mizzou's board of curators Thursday and Friday and Nebraska's board of regents Friday and Saturday.
The conference's stance apparently has been made out of the belief that MU and Nebraska are under consideration to be invited to join the Big Ten — a belief that Kansas chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little felt strongly enough about to publicly urge MU and Nebraska to stay. But those are only two of the moving parts that create the appearance of a critical mass forming for at least a first wave of substantial expansion developments.
Colorado's board of regents held a special meeting Tuesday night.
翻译无忧 The Boulder Daily Camera reported the closed-door session to be about receiving "legal advice" regarding a potential move from the Big 12 to the Pacific 10.
And it remains unclear what, if any, tangible ramifications would be attached to MU or Nebraska for not complying with the ultimatum.
The Pac-10 is believed to be ready to offer Texas, Oklahoma and several other Big 12 South schools membership, said the college official, who is plugged into programs across the country. While a source among those schools called the Pac-10 a "contingency" only, the potential offer figures to be more tempting if MU and Nebraska refuse to affirm their commitment and leave the conference to wonder about its future makeup.
Big 12 and MU officials have declined to address the matter, but Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon on Tuesday took issue with what he called an "arbitrary" deadline.
"This is not the time for ultimatums," he said by telephone. "Universities and states have the responsibility to make the right decisions, not just hasty decisions ... I just think everyone involved with MU should analyze all of this on our own terms in order to think about what a proper response is. …
"It has to be thoughtful.
翻译无忧 And I would just counsel everyone involved to stay calm and think about the big picture."
