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The University of Missouri system’s departing president had qualms about the state’s flagship campus leaving the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference, the Columbia Tribune reports. But after that leader stepped down to care for his ailing wife and it became clear Missouri wanted to join the SEC, the Tribune found evidence that the Big 12 had prepared a lawsuit it could “wave around” in a meeting with Missouri administrators.
The lawsuit was never filed and, after months of speculation, Missouri announced its move in November. Missouri became the fourth university to leave the Big 12 in 18 months, following the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and Texas A&M University at College Station. Missouri publicly campaigned for admission into the Big Ten in 2011 -- the state's governor even offered an unflattering comparison of the academic qualities of the conferences -- but pledged its support to the Big 12 after that bid failed. The Tigers will begin SEC competition in the fall as Texas Christian University and West Virginia University join the Big 12.
