COLUMBIA, Mo., Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Missouri has been officially accepted as the newest member of the Southeastern Conference starting next fall, SEC officials announced Sunday.
Missouri will join Texas A&M as the first new members of the SEC since 1991 and will increase its membership to 14 schools.
SEC board president Bernie Machen said in a written statement that Mizzou was SEC material because it was a "prestigious academic institution with a strong athletic tradition and a culture similar to our current institutions."
Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton added, "SEC will provide our student-athletes with top flight competition and unparalleled visibility."
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said Sunday the Tigers would probably be placed in the SEC East along with Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. They would also be scheduled against A&M annually, which would presumably help with Mizzou's recruiting in the Lone Star State.
The newspaper said Missouri's exit from the Big 12 may not necessarily be a clean break. There will be exit fee to pay, and if the Big 12 is unable to add the Big East's West Virginia in a timely manner, the conference will have only nine teams next season, one fewer than the number needed to guarantee television contracts.
