Former Mizzou AD during SEC transition describes Oklahoma, Texas’ lame duck transition as agonizing
By Keith Farner
Published:
Oklahoma and Texas played their first Big 12 road games as lame duck teams this weekend, as the awkward exits begin for the blue blood programs eventually moving to the SEC.
One man who understands first-hand what that’s like is former Missouri athletics director Mike Alden, who spoke recently with Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports. This weekend began the seemingly protracted and awkward exits from the conference.
“It’s almost like you’re divorced, you’ve already announced that you’re going to be divorced,” Alden said. “But you’re there hanging out together. It’s tough to co-exist.”
Missouri’s transition from the Big 12 to the SEC was not nearly as long as this one is expected to be.
That’s why Alden predicted that the 4 years Texas and Oklahoma are contractually bound to the Big 12 will feel like an eternity.
“I can’t imagine it,” he said. “I don’t know anything about all the dynamics of contractual negations and stuff. It was challenging enough to be in the filing for divorce standpoint for a year. I can’t imagine going through that for four years.”
The four-year run would be unprecedented in length in the history of realignment, and Alden said it will be toughest on the athletes.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
