RE: Question for Mizzou fans?
As a bystander yet outsider to the KSU/MU series, there never seemed to be a lot of vitriol or engagement in that rivalry. MU hated KU, and KSU hated KU, but there didn't seem to be much energy between KSU and MU. As to whether they'll resume that series, I think it depends on when and whether their interests converge. I'll leave that discussion to others.
As for MU/KU, it is correct that MU has offered to play KU and KU has declined to play. There are a number of dynamics that go into it and the whole instability of the Big 12 is a long story. With the teams no longer being in the same conference, that means each side has to evaluate resuming the series through the lens of strategic and common interests. Since the same applies for KU and all 4 schools that have left the Big 12, I'll look at all 4 through that same lens, which is also informed by our status as a school with an elite hoops team and a dumpster-fire of a football team:
KU/Nebraska. Very long-term conference mates with a shared border, with no animosity between us. At the same time, there's not a compelling reason on either side to play. NU owned KU in football in very lopsided fashion, and the same is true for KU owning NU in basketball. Neither side is seen as a fertile recruiting area for the other, so ultimately there's no big reason to play and the series have not been renewed.
KU/aTM. Short-term conference mates with no shared border, with neither animosity nor much shared history between us. There's no value in our football team being curb-stomped by theirs, nor is there much value in our basketball team picking up a win over theirs. We have multiple Texas schools remaining on our slate, so the primary value of recruiting exposure in TX is essentially nullified.
KU/CU. Long-term conference mates with a shared border, with no animosity between us. While we haven't renewed the football series (I doubt either side sees value in it), we have renewed the basketball series for several reasons. One, our alumni in Denver had long valued that game as a chance to see the team play in person (although CU has taken steps to mitigate that and prevent their arena from being filled with a lot of KU fans). CU's coach is a former KU player. From CU's side, not only does their coach have ties to KU, but they also likely see value in playing a prominent hoops school (particularly when they get a win like they recently did.)
KU/MU. Ah, here's the rub. Yes, there are people at KU who are irked that MU's move diminished the conference. At the same time, you have to look at what it would bring to each side.
In overall terms, while it was their move that caused the initial discontinuity in the series, simply making the offer wins MU PR points, not just among national media but also specifically in the KC/North and Western MO areas of the state that have less affinity to SEC culture than the St. Louis/South and Eastern areas of the state. It also allows MU to pursue their strategic interests directly, while being able to put KU on the defensive of being asked why we choose not to play.
But if you look at football, right now our primary concern is just righting a ship that has bottomed out just a few years after winning a BCS bowl. With only 3 non-conference games available, the last thing we need on the schedule is an SEC team. From a recruiting perspective, we still have enough exposure in the KC area to keep us in front of players, and we probably don't see the SE area of MO as being rich ground moving forward with MU's move to the SEC. So there's little or no gain for us here.
As for basketball, playing MU really doesn't gain us anything. We are able to schedule high-profile games on major networks against the likes of Kentucky, Michigan State, Duke, Georgetown, and others. We recruit nationally, so we're not focused on being able to recruit specifically in MO, and even more so than in football we have exposure not just in the KC/NW MO area, but statewide since we play a lot of nationally broadcast games. As elitist as it sounds, on some level choosing not to schedule MU isn't dissimilar to choosing not to play Wichita State, as the upside for winning a game wouldn't balance the downside for a loss. (On that note, Bill Self is 15-4 against MU all time, so it's not as though we're "ducking" someone we see as a threat - it's just that the upside doesn't match the downside, making it less compelling of a matchup from our perspective.) Conversely, it's no surprise MU wants to play, because they get exposure against a quality opponent, and if they win it's a big upside, and if they don't it's likely still a boost to their RPI.
Finally, aside from our specific programs' direct strategic needs, there simply isn't the demand for this game from the fanbase. Whether it's from "hurt feelings", apathy, or the alignment of the stars is irrelevant - if the fans aren't pressuring the AD to get them on the schedule, the AD isn't going to direct his coaches to do so. I'd also suspect that with the specter of additional realignment on the horizon, and given the chance that the SEC isn't a particularly likely landing spot, our athletic department is worried a lot more about getting our ducks in a row and cultivating relationships in the B1G than they are about getting MU on the schedule.
By not evaluating these matchups in terms of shared history rather than in terms of strategic interests, is this yet another blow to "tradition" of college sports? Perhaps. But that ship has long since sailed to the Port of Financial Gain.
Edited to add: in reading this post after a few offline revisions, I realize that it may come across as being overly dismissive of MU's hoops program. That is certainly not my intent. MU does have a good program.
Also, I realize I left out one point. While Sprint Center is in Missouri and playing games there is good for the state of MO, the KC area in general is home to many KU fans, so the overall economic health of the city is a strategic interest of ours, even if tax dollars from our games on that side of the state line don't come to KS.
(This post was last modified: 12-18-2013 12:15 PM by BewareThePhog.)
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