The Missouri Tigers have an impressive run in both men’s football and basketball in recent years and that’s part of the reason why the SEC opened their doors to the Columbia, Missouri school as their 14th official member today. But what’s often lost in the torrent of information and analysis is that the move also bolsters the conference academically alongside the transfer of Texas A&M, also from the Big 12.
The official press release from the SEC reveals the details of the academic side of adding Missouri and Texas A&M:
Missouri, located in Columbia, will also be the fourth institution in the Southeastern Conference to hold membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities, joining University of Florida, Texas A&M University and Vanderbilt University. Missouri has an enrollment of 33,800 students, which would be the fourth largest institution in the SEC, with Florida, Georgia and Texas A&M having a larger student body. There are more than 260,000 “Mizzou” alumni around the world. The State of Missouri borders three SEC states: Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas, and they bring an existing rivalry with former conference foe Texas A&M.
Of course, the academic side will not be focused upon because, let’s be honest, this is all about dollars brought in mostly on the football side. Still it’s a nice bragging point for the conference to be able to make.