As the Univ. of Missouri moves to the SEC, "nothing quite commands" AD Mike Alden’s attention “like his program’s financial status, and all it takes is a look at the new competition to see why,” according to Terez Paylor of the K.C. STAR. In the FY ‘10-11, five SEC teams spent more than $90M and four spent more than $80M. Compare that to the Big 12, “where Texas and Oklahoma were the only schools to spend more" than $90M, and "only three others -- Nebraska, Kansas and Texas A&M -- spent more than" $70M. Missouri, which operated under a $64M budget in ‘10-11, “must bridge that gap to be competitive in the SEC.” Alden estimates that Missouri's “current operating budget ranks 11th out of 14 SEC teams, and that, he said, isn’t good enough.” Alden: “We believe that in the next five to seven years, we can be somewhere in the middle of the pack, anywhere ranging from sixth to eighth in the league.” Paylor notes with its “first SEC check not set to come until next summer, that revenue shortfall means the MU athletic department won’t be able to pay all" of its $65M in expenses. The school will “cover the debt and the athletic department will pay back the school starting in 2016.” Missouri is set to receive upwards of $20M "in its first year in the SEC.” Alden said that the school currently makes around $4.2-$4.3M from its Learfield Sports contract and he "sees that number increasing in the future.” Alden: “In order for us to make more money on multimedia rights, we need to continue to make more money through corporate partnerships.” Paylor notes the creation of an SEC Network “could put even more dollars in each school’s pockets" (K.C. STAR, 7/12).
