Mizzou Links, 9-13-11

MIZZOUEXPANSIONAPALOOZA™ 2011

As I've said many times, as long as we take him for what he is, Chip Brown is an incredibly valuable resource for realignment rumors. In this case, with A&M pretty much officially out the door, instead of taking at 100% face value his "OU all but gone" article below, we should take it as "Texas wants us to know OU is all but gone." So what's the purpose then? Is it simply Texas trying to blame others for the Big 12's downfall (like Berry Tramel always finds a way to blame Missouri)? Is it to put extra pressure on Oklahoma?

Until Oklahoma actually leaves, part of me will believe that this is all posturing, and for good reason: it usually is. Still, it appears Oklahoma is a lot closer to being gone than I expected them to be. And as we've been saying for a while, if they're gone, the Big 12 is too. The conference can absorb A&M's loss, it can absorb Mizzou's or Kansas' or Texas Tech's, too. But Oklahoma?

• SI.com (Andy Staples): Realignment threats creating game of chicken in college athletics
• A&M Actually Gone
  Roll Bama Roll: Mike Slive Speaks on Conference Expansion and Texas A&M
  SEC Digital Network: Commissioner Slive Talks Conference Alignment
  Dr. Saturday: Slive: It's not 'if' Texas A&M joins the SEC, but 'when'
  College Football Talk: Mike Slive talks scheduling 'when', not 'if', A&M joins
  KC Star (Campus Corner): SEC looking at 13th team, not 14th yet
• Texas Wants Us To Know Oklahoma Might Be Gone
  Orangebloods: Sources say OU board ready to apply to Pac-12
  San Antonio Express-News: UT delegation visits OU in effort to keep Sooners in Big 12
  Dallas Morning News: Source: Texas, Oklahoma officials met over the weekend to discuss Big 12's future
  Austin American-Statesman: Sources: Texas has three viable realignment options
• Oh, Baylor
  Pre-Snap Read: What He's Selling, I'm Not Buying
  

Mizzou Football Links

• Media Day
  MUtigers.com: Tigers Look For Bounce-Back vs. WIU

  Saturday's game between Mizzou and Western Illinois was not chosen for telecast over the Big 12 Conference package, which typically includes games most weeks on Fox Sports Net, ESPN, ABC or the Versus Network.
  
  Per league rules, when a game is not selected for one of those windows, the only option a school has to get the game on TV is to show it on a pay-per-view basis.
  
  Saturday's game (with kickoff at 6:00 p.m.) will be produced in High Definition by FOX Sports and offered on various cable providers and satellite systems around the country. Fans are encouraged to check with www.mutigers.com for continuous updates on providers of the telecast, which is available for $39.95.
  
  For the Furman game Dan McLaughlin will call the play-by-play alongside color analyst D'Marco Farr. Todd Donoho will serve as sideline reporter.

  MUtigers.com: Media Day Quote Sheet
  The Trib (Dave Matter): Monday MU Briefing
  The Trib (Dave Matter): Tigers Meet the Press

  I'll touch on this more in Tuesday's Tribune, but long snapper Beau Brinkley and kicker Grant Ressel both said the coaches discussed with them during halftime a strategy to call timeouts on field goals. Long story short, Burfict was timing holder Brandon Gerau's cadence from the game's first field goal attempt. Early on, coaches Bruce Walker and Andy Hill talked to the field goal/PAT team about the possibility of running through the play clock and using timeouts to goad Burfict into jumping offside. "Grant knew what we were doing," Brinkley said. "We weren't trying to ice him like some people are saying. We had it all planned. We talked about it at halftime because if it happened, we wanted to get him to jump offsides.When we went out there, I was told not to snap the ball at any costs."

  Ressel's story matched up. In fact, he said he was so dialed into making the field goal at the end of regulation, he assumed Arizona State had called the first timeout and Missouri called the second. (The official stat sheet credits Missouri with calling both, though Ressel was fairly certain ASU called the first.) "Oh, well, it doesn't matter," he said.

  PowerMizzou: Media Day Notebook
• Running Backs
  KC Star (Campus Corner): Pinkel confirms T.J. Moe, Greg White will be readied at running back
  KC Star: Mizzou gets two starters back plus some help at tailback
  The Missourian: Missouri football team adjusts running back situation -- again
  Post-Dispatch: Injuries trim Mizzou's list of healthy tailbacks
  Post-Dispatch: Pinkel says Moe might help in backfield
• Tristen Holt
  The Trib: MU cornerback arrested for leaving accident scene
• Grant Ressel
  Post-Dispatch: Mizzou kicker has no excuses after loss
• Well Done
  The Missourian (Tiger Sports): Five from the film room: Week 2
• Defense
  The Trib: MU defense goes south in Arizona
• DPOY
  We Are Mizzou: Zaviar Gooden: Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week
• Recruiting
  PowerMizzou: Following the Future
• PowerMizzou: Like Father, Unlike Son

Other Football Links

Not going to lie: I'm extremely skeptical of the report listed below. I very much want to see more about the methodology involved.

• Hmm
  Rivals.com: REPORT: Top college athletes worth six figures
  Dr. Saturday: Study puts six-figure price tag on NCAA's most valuable 'amateurs'
  

Other Mizzou Links

• Mizzou Baseball
  SimmonsField.com: Mizzou Baseball in the Majors: Post-season Tigers?
• Mizzou Golf
  MUtigers.com: Mizzou Golf Sixth After First Day At Michigan Intercollegiate
  

Other

Listened to the PJ stream below yesterday ... a lovely mix of newer and old. Love those guys. But not as much as Johnny Cash loved June. (Seriously, the to-do list is phenomenal.)

• Cash
  Letters of Note: The ring of fire still burns around you and I
• PJ
  Consequence of Sound: STREAM: Pearl Jam Twenty soundtrack