Missouri in the middle of it all  + - T.J. Moe of the Missouri
Tigers celebrates a  T.J. Moe of the Missouri Tigers celebrates
a victory after overtime against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle
Field in College Station, Texas. The Missouri Tigers defeated
the Texas A&M Aggies 38-31. (Oct. 29, 2011) Photo Credit: Getty
advertisement | advertise on newsday  John Jeansonne Newsday
columnist John Jeansonne.   This latest round of conference
roulette is all the fault of my school, the University of
Missouri. Whether motivated by real concerns that its Big 12
home would disintegrate around it, or caught up in the baser
get-rich-quick lure of greener TV payouts, Missouri's expected
leap to the Southeastern Conference -- last year, it flirted
unsuccessfully with the Big 10 -- has been a central provocation
in the mad scramble for higher ground.  As a Missouri alum, I am
appalled. To leave the Big 12 would mean abandoning regional
ties that reach back almost 100 years, likely ending the second
most-played college football