No movement toward SEC for Missouri in Monday meeting

Despite mounting speculation that Monday could be moving day for Missouri, it turned out to be nothing of the sort.

MU Chancellor Brady Deaton attended a meeting of the Big 12 Conference presidents in Dallas, but no announcement was made regarding Missouri's rumored departure for the Southeastern Conference.

The league issued a statement stating that "a strong desire for the University of Missouri to maintain its Big 12 affiliation was expressed," but did not elaborate.

The statement also stated that the presidents had reaffirmed their commitment to equal revenue sharing and the six-year grant of television rights and had discussed a variety of topics including NCAA legislation, the Bowl Championship Series and the possibility of a TV network dedicated to conference coverage.

After Friday's UM System Board of Curators news conference, during which Deaton was granted the power to make decisions about conference alignment, it seemed that a move to the SEC was close. There were various reports that Deaton would notify the Big 12 of Missouri's withdrawal on Monday.

The timeline now becomes cloudy for Missouri to take the definitive step out of the Big 12 by withdrawing. The move could still happen this week, but there is no official information to suggest that this is the case.

Texas A&M submitted its withdrawal through a publicly released letter on Aug. 31. Missouri's method, now that the meeting has passed without any definitive announcement, would likely be similar. The Aggies were accepted into the SEC six days after their withdrawal letter.