The SEC Reaction

The Missouri Tigers move to the SEC will not be official until July 1, 2012. But in the coming months, PowerMizzou.com will take a look at the move from every angle.

We posed a series of questions to our counterparts that run SEC sites for Rivals.com. Over the next few weeks, we will share some of their thoughts about Mizzou's move.

The Question: What is the initial reaction among the fan base at your school upon Missouri's acceptance to the league?

Neal McCready of RebelGrove.com: "At Ole Miss, the focus is so centered on the future of athletics director Pete Boone and football coach Houston Nutt. However, those who have kept up with the expansion seem to be thrilled with Missouri's inclusion. Missouri is a strong academic institution that adds more eyeballs to the league. Most fans seem to think Missouri lacks glamour, but they seem to be excited about the prospect of a new member in that area of the country."

Chris Lee of VandySports.com: "It was mixed; with no disrespect to either Missouri or Texas A&M, I think a good number of Vanderbilt fans would have preferred to see the Southeastern Conference stay at 12 teams. But once A&M joined the fold and it was obvious that the SEC would add one more team, I think that Missouri was probably better-received than most, if not all, of the other names thrown out as possibilities. However, there is still a sense of, as one poster put it, "awkwardness" for geographic reasons."

Bryan Lazare of TigerBait.com: "Many in the LSU fan base are a little bit surprised about Missouri coming to the SEC. They do not think of Missouri as a SEC team. Most LSU fans wanted a Florida State or a Clemson. I don't tink they have much of a perception of Missouri football."

Steve Patterson of UGASports.com: "Pretty much neutral. Fans that do not understand the monetary aspect of television markets, etc., are left scratching their heads wondering how Missouri fits into the SEC, while fans who want to beef up the conference with the likes of Florida State, Miami, or Clemson, fail to see that making a powerhouse conference even more of a powerhouse hurts the league when it comes to national implications as they will beat up on each other. That said, Missouri will be welcomed into the Southeastern Conference by Georgia fans and they will look forward to seeing the Tigers in Athens as well as travelling to Columbia to see their Dawgs play in a new venue."

Jeffrey Lee of AuburnSports.com: "I think the overall vibe from Auburn fans was positive that Missouri is joining the SEC. The biggest concern for Tiger fans was what Missouri joining would do to the divisions, whether or not it would move Auburn to the East."

Scott Hood of GamecockCentral.com: "Most fans at South Carolina understood the SEC needed a 14thteam and reports of an invitation to Missouri had been floating around for weeks, so they were prepared when the news finally broke. Most South Carolina fans are happy because rival Clemson didn't get in."

This is the first in a series of stories with SEC reaction to Mizzou. We will run the rest over the course of the next few weeks.