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The SEC has made it official; the Missouri Tigers will join the league as the 14th member on July 1, 2012 beginning play with the 2012-13 season.
After months of speculation and deliberation, the announcement today comes six weeks after the conference officially invited fellow Big 12 conference mate Texas A&M Aggies to the Southeastern Conference as the 13th school.
Some may wonder whether the move is a good one for Mizzou. First and foremost, they are giving up rivalries against four schools they have shared a conference with since 1928, most notably the Kansas Jayhawks. Whether the Mizzou-KU rivalry can withstand a shift in conference affiliation is yet to be seen, but initial indication by both schools shows that they will try and hold annual basketball and football games against each other, most likely in Kansas City.
As for the Big 12, they are secure with ten schools for next season, but the departure of four institutions over the past year has been a seismic shock to the conference. Rumored departures of other institutions earlier this year also led to instability, but interim Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas has done a commendable job keeping the boat afloat, while adding the West Virginia Mountaineers and TCU Horned Frogs. Neinas has stated publicly that the conference is done expanding for next season, and any further expansion back to 12 schools wouldn't happen until the 2013-14 season, at the earliest.
Interesting Stupid Facts: Mizzou will be the third 'Tigers' in the conference (Auburn, LSU) and will be the second to call 'Columbia' home (South Carolina)
If you're lost with all the conference shifts, SEC and Big 12 affiliations for 2012-13 are included after The Jump.
2012-13 Big 12 Conference
Baylor Bears
Iowa St. Cyclones
Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas St. Wildcats
Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma St. Cowboys
TCU Horned Frogs
Texas Longhorns
Texas Tech Red Raiders
West Virginia Mountaineers
2012-13 SEC Conference
Alabama Crimson Tide
Arkansas Razorbacks
Auburn Tigers
Florida Gators
Georgia Bulldogs
Kentucky Wildcats
LSU Tigers
Mississippi Rebels
Mississippi St. Bulldogs
Missouri Tigers
South Carolina Gamecocks
Tennessee Volunteers
Texas A&M Aggies
Vanderbilt Commodores
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