A certain trend has been spreading across the United States in college athletics.

Big name schools, and even mid-major schools seem as if there playing “Simon says”

Simon says … University of Missouri, take your talents to the South Eastern Conference.

I don’t understand where the trend started that it’s cool to jump conferences, and I do have negative and positive stands on this particular subject.

First off, the conferences’ names may need a new facelift, because to me it’s strange to call the Big 12 that, while it only has 10 teams.

The Big 10 is the same way, the conference is called the Big 10 but it has has 12 teams.

Just plain confusing to me.

Every ESPN analyst had their opinion on why Mizzou would move to the SEC.

I have a few thoughts of my own of why the Tigers are moving to arguably the hardest conference in all of college sports, or at least in football.

My first reason for the Tigers heading to the SEC is the money.

Mizzou will have to pay $10-12 million for leaving the Big 12, although they can negotiate to lower the price.

If Mizzou would have stayed put in the Big 12, its Big 12 TV money would have been a little over $17 million, compared to the $19 million in SEC TV money they will receive.

Mizzou will also be stepping into a money-driven league, where its rankings are near the bottom of the SEC.

Of the 14 schools representing the SEC, 10 of them currently spend more money on intercollegiate athletics than Mizzou does.

The University of Florida may be the top dog as far as money spent. The Gators spent $113 million last year on athletics, nearly doubling the amount that Mizzou spent: somewhere around $59 million.

In the sense of athletic revenue, Mizzou’s $59 million ranks eleventh among SEC schools.

Only the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University and Vanderbilt University rank lower.

Also, Mizzou might have to step their recruiting game up a little bit as they currently rank No. 12 in the SEC as far as money spent on recruitment.

It does however seem that Mizzou must be doing something right in the recruitment game as they were able to land the No. 3 recruit in the nation, Dorial Green-Beckham.

This brings me to my second reason; which is competition level.  

‘DGB,’ as he has been dubbed, the 6’6”, 220 pound wide receiver from Hillcrest High School in Springfield, will certainly add some excitement for the Tigers and their fans.

I actually believe one of the factors that went into DGB signing with Mizzou was the fact that Mizzou will be playing in the SEC.

It seems as if Mizzou’s move to the SEC is prompting the University to “renovate” their sports complexes to match the powerhouse schools in the SEC

Mizzou is planning a small upgrade to their football stadium as they are likely to add somewhere between 1,200 and 2,500 premium outdoor club seats.

This would boost the capacity of the stadium to over 71,000 spectators, ranking ninth in the conference.

The school also plans to add improvements to the baseball, softball, and women’s tennis teams according to the University’s chancellor Brady Deaton.

As my last statement for this article, I want to dissect Mizzou’s upcoming football schedule, and tell you how I think they will fare.

The Tigers open their season at home with the University of Georgia; I have this one as a loss.  

Next up is Arizona State University at home.

You can count this one as a win.

Mizzou then heads on the road to South Carolina to play the Gamecocks; chalk this game up as a win for the Tigers.

Mizzou then heads back home for a three-game homestand with Vanderbilt, Alabama, and Kentucky.

I think Mizzou will take two games of the three, winning against Vanderbilt and Kentucky and losing to the Crimson Tide.

The Tigers’ three-game homestand is followed by a three-game road trip to finish off the season.

They will play Florida, Tennessee, and Texas A&M.

I have Mizzou wining one of the three games by defeating Tennessee.

This brings Mizzou’s hypothetical record to 5-4 in their first season in the conference.