Kinda surprised by this. Both schools had to make a boatload of money off these games, and it only helped their strength of schedule arguments before conference games too. Go figure.

This is crazy. This is one of the best ways to start the season.

That’s too bad — this has always been a great series and a blast to attend. They’ve dropped it before and brought it back, let’s hope the same happens at some point in the future…

Maybe they are just taking a break. In the past they did play two years in a row, took off two years, and are now in game three of a four game series. It is a good game as long as you win it. A loss is tough to take since you could have scheduled a blood doner at home for a sure win. Since college football does not have any practice games, this was always a tough game to open the season. Almost every big-time program does not play a game of this type until the third or fourth week of the season.

That’s too bad. This was always a great game, and at the end we would hollar, “ILLINOIS LOST!”

Stupid IS, as Stupid Does

Yeah, it was nice for Mizzou fans to have something to crow about, what with getting their (Truman) tails handed to them every year in the Busch Braggin Rights basketball game. I-L-L!!!!

To look at the IlliniHQ article, it makes it look like Illinois wanted out. Fine, then; bring in Purdue or Indiana or Minnesota or Kentucky or maybe even Notre Dame, somebody who’ll bring a good crowd and a good team. Illinois will regret the publicity as they beat up Bugtussle Tech.

Gotta say, it’s nice to see Mizzou drove the Illini out of town. Now, let’s turn the tables on the hardwood beginning this year.

I think the dome is too dark and its certainly not my favority venue, but…

Illini fans didn’t seem to mind the dome when they were here for the Final Four.

For that matter, Rams fans didn’t complain about the dome during the glory years.

Arrowhead wasn’t all that cold 2 years ago when Mizzou beat KU. Last year it was too icy for my taste.

Losing is the buzzkill, not the dome.

I went to my first Arch Rivalry game 2 years ago and had a GREAT time. Too bad they are taking it away. Hopefully they will reconsider. MIZZOU!!!

This is not new news. It’s been pretty public that Illinois was getting sick of losing their first game of the season every year.

Im glad the P-D can discern exactly what someone meant based off a quote mentioning nothing about stadium improvements. The ED is a horrible place to tailgate, park, or watch a game. In addition, the powers that be were charging SEC prices for a mid-pack Big 10 team and a soon to be mid-pack Big 12 team. Both teams can do better. Also, Illinois was also “laden” with NFL prospects as well, considering the likes of Mendenhall, Davis, Benn, Leman, etc. Its nice to see the bias and slant that this article not only places on Illinois, but also their AD.

As a volunteer worker, this will be a huge loss of revenue for me and hundreds or even thousands of other workers. This game was the biggest money maker last year. It was the biggest money maker since the fans sold their tickets to Green Bay and Pittsburg fans two years ago.

Let’s not confuse athletic directors and university administrators with smart business people. Not that GM, Citicorp and others executives perform like smart business people.

I can not understand why they would do this and I am not an alum of either school. It was a great event.

Nooo! It’s the best tailgate of the year, even if you don’t go to the game! St. Louis is the perfect geographical midpoint for a game, and it’s a perfect melting pot of fans for both sides.

Uncool.

Removing all of the Mizzou bias from my comment, this is a stupid move by both universities. This game was used as a stepping stone for both Mizzou and Illinois the last couple of years as the strength of schedule was boosted for both. Also, the financial considerations of having this game in St. Louis, drawing both sets of fans (highly unlikely for either school playing each other or another at home) will likely hit each university’s pocketbook.
I predict that after a year or two, this game will be back at the ED.

I am surprised by the comments of others on this board who indicated that these two teams were mid-level, at best, within their respective conferences. One or the other of these teams have been in the BCS poll picture the over the past 5 years. Just because this isn’t “ESS-CEE-CEE” foooootball, doesn’t mean that it isn’t high caliber.

Notre Dame??!!! HAHAHAHAHA You Mizzou fans may want to wait for, I don’t know, more than two successful Top 25 years prior to pretending you’re any kind of football powerhouse. Notre Dame looks at Missouri football like a lion looks at a gnat.

I’m sorry what has Notre Dame done in the last few years?

Hired Charlie Weiss? Isn’t he supposed to be some kind of genius or something?

Thought he was supposed to get it done for them…Oh he’s still working on it. That’s what I thought.
So in case you have been trapped under something for the last 15 years or so…NEWSFLASH…Notre Dame sucks!!!

Those vistors were spending a lot of $$$$ here. Downtown revenue will certain feel a hit. But it would have been hard to get around anyway after Paul Mckee buys up Tucker. So maybe they know better.

The game should rotate campus to campus. If St. Louis wants college football then they need to get a year end bowl.

With $410 in TIF, we’ll ALL be helping Paul McKee buy up Tucker Blvd.

Now, back to football . . .

I would like to see MU take advantage of this potential open date in the schedule to play some traditional powerhouses such as, OSU, LSU, VT, Florida or some other school from the east side of the country. Rarely does MU compete to the east. Also, I would like to see us get rid of one other cream puff game. I realize we need these wins to compete for the north title. I would just like to see how we would fair outside of our conference or the Midwest in a game, instead of a computers opinion.

Sad. This game has helped Missouri for the past 4 years… and some years it would help Illinois. I hate to see it die.

I will say this, however… to the person that is hoping to replace this with a game vs. a powerhouse. (OU, NEB, etc..) Come on… There is a reason why this game was scheduled with IL. They would take the game. While Mizzou would be all over playing OU, Nebraska or Texas… they do not share the enthusiasm, I am certain.

Slightly delusional to think that you could improve the opponent here. Kind of funny, actually. IL has a better chance of landing a big name school to play than Missouri does… and IL was a .500 team last year.

Hey Brett…try some finding some success on the football field and then come with your trash. Slipping and falling into a BCS game and then getting waxed by USC doesn’t count as success in my book. But then again, you’re probably used to mediocrity…MIZZOU-RAH!!!!

Notre Dame??!!! HAHAHAHAHA You Mizzou fans may want to wait for, I don’t know, more than two successful Top 25 years prior to pretending you’re any kind of football powerhouse. Notre Dame looks at Missouri football like a lion looks at a gnat.
— Brett Schulte
June 1st, 2009

Mizzou fans are forgetting that Coach Pinkel pulled out of a home and home series season opener against the University of Iowa about 5 years ago. Why? The Hawkeyes has finished 3 straight years in the top 10, and Mizzou couldn’t compete. Now Illinois has done this to Mizzou. Good, except that it hurts St. Louis. Bring another border war here for a season opener (MO borders 8 states, and 5 are not in the Big 12). In fact, BEG Iowa to forgive Mizzou!

I agree with the previous post. Iowa city is only 4 hours(or less) from STL. Iowa fans like to travel with the team and like Cardinals Baseball.

WTF?

Cubfan300, first off as an Illini fan, we never should have been to the rose bowl. Did you watch the game? complete and utter domination by USC, immediately followed by a 5-7 season. Second, until Mizzou can beat Oklahoma or Texas consistently, they will always be considered a mid-pack big 12 team. You cannot beat up on the likes of Baylor, KSU, Iowa State, and colorado (see cupcakes) and consider yourself a powerhouse. In addition, until the big 10 can show up to a bowl game, or to pasadena and actually win, the entire conference will be mid-pack. This game simply put was two evenly matched teams that might make a new years day bowl (if lucky…You can see how well mizzou handled the pressure of being number 1).
SEC football is far and away superior to any other conference. The last three BCS championships have gone to the SEC with a total of 5 championships in the 11 year BCS history. Those are facts you cannot argue against. Ask Mizzou favorite Bob Stoops how good the SEC can be. He has lost to them in the championship game 2 out of 2 times while stomping mizzou a perfect 6 out of 6.

It really doesn’t matter to me, what does matter is that the NCAA put together a real playoff. It’s unfortunate that of all the sports NCAA Division I has, the mosted watched sport doesn’t have a playoff. They’re (NCAA) more interested in the University that can draw the most revenue than the football teams who deserve to play for a title. With all that a player and coach goes through before and during the season, ends up going undefeated for the year and still can’t play for the championship because of the Universities lack of notariety or strengh of schedule. Having a computer decide on who should be where is flat out stupid. It starts on the field and should end of the field. Regardless of your schedule, if you loose one game, it shouldn’t prohibit you from playing for the championship yet along having a perfect record and still not make it. Instead of the NCAA having all the say-so the Goverment doesn’t have a choice but to do what’s right instead of doing what’s wrong for all the decades. What since does it make to prepare for a football season knowing that you can’t play for the championship because of your University lack of Schedule

All of Missewera’s “key” players are gone - Pinkhole gets a raise to $2M/year and promptly brings in a 99th ranked recruiting class whose “star” would have committed to Miami if his mom hadn’t insisted he “stay close to home” and who couldn’t even qualify under Missewera’s hillbilly admission standards. Illinois gets it - they’ll be beating the crap out of Missewera on a regular basis now and they want to do it in front of their fans in their own stadium.

“Notre Dame??!!! HAHAHAHAHA You Mizzou fans may want to wait for, I don’t know, more than two successful Top 25 years prior to pretending you’re any kind of football powerhouse. Notre Dame looks at Missouri football like a lion looks at a gnat.
— Brett Schulte”

Brett - ND picks unranked teams to run their win records up all the time. For example, check out how many service academy games they play. Coincidence? That powerhouse of Army/Navy/Air Force that they play must be a single cell. ND is over-ranked consistently and especially in the past few years.

It would be a big draw because ND fans are faithful to a fault.

Seriously measure the competition your team is playing before making comparisons.

I’ve been to several, I will miss this. I saw Brad Smith’s coming out party as a freshman, and soph repeat. I saw J Mac’s debut and the game changing punt return. I saw ‘Spoon rip the ball out and score on an “interception” in one of the greatest defensive plays I’ve ever seen, almost as if he said “If I have to, I’ll make sure we win this myself.” The TV exposure, the party, all were amazing. I understand Illinios needs to use its stadium. Somehow Mizzou has found a way to have 2 “neutral” site games a year in KC and STL lately. Too bad it can’t continue.