Matt Tait’s football notebook: KU coach Turner Gill talks about Missouri’s departure

By Matt Tait     Nov 8, 2011

Nick Krug
Kansas head coach Turner Gill watches from the sidelines during the first quarter on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011 at Kivisto Field.

Sunday, after weeks of delaying, Missouri University officially announced its intention to join the SEC in 2012. Monday, on the Big 12 coaches teleconference, Gill echoed the comments shared by men’s basketball coach Bill Self, athletic director Sheahon Zenger and Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little.

“I don’t see us playing them in the future,” Gill said of Mizzou. “I think the rivalry between Kansas and Missouri would be something I think belongs in the Big 12 Conference.”

Gov. Sam Brownback also weighed in with his thoughts Monday and said he was sorry to see the Tigers go but that he didn’t think the loss of MU would harm the Big 12.

“It will ultimately be the strongest conference in the country,” Brownback said of the Big 12.

Baylor opens as favorite

When Baylor comes to Memorial Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff Saturday, it will mark the ninth-straight game in which the KU football team will take the field as the underdog. The Bears (5-3 overall, 2-6 Big 12) opened as 17.5-point favorites over the Jayhawks (2-7, 0-6) and, as of late Monday, were already up to 20-point favorites in some spots.

This week’s match-up with Baylor will not be televised and will be the last home game in the careers of 15 KU seniors.

PREV POST

KU, Texas A&M football game to kick off at 11 a.m.

NEXT POST

39251Matt Tait’s football notebook: KU coach Turner Gill talks about Missouri’s departure

Author Photo

Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.