In other expansion news, it seems that former Big Ten expansion target Mizzou may be on the radar of the Mountain West Conference (MWC). ESPN writes,
According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Kansas, Missouri and Kansas State are on the Mountain West’s radar amid a continuing shakeup of the Big 12.
But Baylor isn’t considered a candidate to join the conference, with TCU standing staunchly in its way, the Fort Worth newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources.
“The Mountain West wants to be a national player and continue to grow in that realm,” MWC commissioner Craig Thompson said in a conference call with reporters Friday. “We are extremely interested in BCS automatic qualification. We are simply trying to get to the level where each and every year a Mountain West team is playing in a BCS bowl game.”
Kansas has never really been on the radar of the Big Ten, and the only connection they’ve had to the Pac-10 has been as a possible replacement candidate along with Utah if Texas A&M should decide to bolt for the SEC. It’s not surprising then that other conferences would be interested in pulling in a school with one of the best basketball programs in the country. The MWC, after just recently adding Boise State, would certainly gain a lot with the additions of Mizzou and Kansas. Baylor could come or go, really, as Kansas is the main value in such a deal.
At the same time, it should be noted that if the Big Ten does decide to renew interest in Mizzou, which it might if Texas and the other Big 12 south schools head to the Pac-10 on Tuesday, there’s no real way for the MWC to compete with what the Big Ten could offer.
As far as Kansas goes, though, as long as the Pac-10 doesn’t take them, it seems that they are definitely within reach of the MWC.