This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 11.

Go forth and consume.

What? This isn't the real cover?

Now that I think about it, this may be the first time in about four or five years that I won't be able to pick up and play NCAA on its first release date, but it's certainly not for lack of interest. To the NCAA fans in the RMN community, I expect full details about how it plays.

While we're at it, allow me to send a quick thanks to EA Sports for their sponsorship of the "Where I Come From" campaign we've been running across the SB Nation college network. I hope everyone in our community enjoyed the conversations about fandom as much as I did. Here's a word from our sponsors:

When you go to a particular school or grow up around college football, you are more than just a fan. It’s who you are. We thought we could leverage this pride in your roots and show that "where you come from" is more than just a statement about geography. By positioning NCAA Football 11 as a game that understands this pride and is authentic to these traditions, the takeaway should be that anything that is in college football is in NCAA Football 11.

And this doesn’t just include gameplay (though that’s a huge part of it). It’s rivals and mascots; it’s legends and stories. It’s those things that are at the very fabric of the game itself. Of course the game is great this year as well. With authentic entrances, mascots and specific offenses for each team, the term "where I come from" takes on a much larger meaning. While playing NCAA Football 11 is ultimately a great sports sim, it should also give you a sense of the pride and emotion one has for being a fan of a team they will never not be a part of.

For as much fun as I've had writing the different installments of the EA Sports Where I Come From series, I won't lie, this is the post I've been dreading the most. And when I say that, I hope the RMN community understands my hesitance.

Ever since tasting a little bit of success, Missouri fans have fought (or should have at least tried to fight) succumbing to the entitlement that drives us nuts about other fan bases. Between both the football and basketball programs, I personally have struggled trying to balance "possibilities" vs. "expectations," as the blurred line between the two in the Missouri online community frustrates me to no end.

Before 2008, we struggled with correctly defining what exactly an "expectation" entails. So rather than feeding into the easy trap of just throwing out record predictions and churning out cliché prognostication posts, let me tell you what I truly expect out of Missouri football in 2010:

• I expect to thoroughly enjoy watching Andrew Gachkar's heart throughout final year of eligibility.
• I expect to once again have to co-chair the Carl Gettis Fan Club with Bill C.
• I expect Will Ebner to blow somebody up.
• I expect the linebackers to be the strongest unit on the team.
• I expect to either be thrilled about Blaine Gabbert's senior season in 2011 or thrilled that he put up good enough numbers/led Missouri to a good enough 2010 to warrant entering the NFL Draft.
• I expect Missouri fans to undervalue Derrick Washington during the season and overvalue him after the season.
• I expect to sigh loudly when playcalling is inevitability whined about at some point.
• I expect a competitive football team that goes about its business the right way, a team of which I'm proud to be a fan.

So, to you Rock M Nation readers, what do you expect in 2010?

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

Everybody has their favorite moments.

Maybe it was Corby flipping into the endzone against Nebraska in 1997. Maybe it was Sonny Riccio finding Victor Sesay in the endzone in 2003. Maybe Brad Smith's dash against South Carolina in 2005 was the most breathtaking moment you could imagine in the midst of such a comeback.

Then, of course, you can pick all your moments from 2007. Pig going goalline to goalline with a fumble recovery against Illinois. The endless golden wave at Faurot Field against Nebraska, replete with booing upon reaching the NU section. 

Of course, there are more painful memories, both recently and in the annals. A pass bouncing off of Martin Rucker's hands and falling into the arms of Curtis Lofton in San Antonio. Shevin Wiggins' foot connecting with Matt Davison. Watching Darrell Stuckey catch Chase Daniel from behind in the first half in 2008. Every moment outside of the Iowa State game in 1985. Kerry Freakin' Meier.

But, for as much as we Missouri fans love to dwell on the negative and make ourselves sick over the hard times, it's the positive moments that capture our imagination and capture our hearts. More importantly, they let us capture distinct points in time, not just in the world of sports, but in real life.

Why do I remember Todd Reesing getting sacked in the endzone in 2007? The No. 1 ranking was the easy answer. The story behind the scenes was my ability to experience this moment with my family at home in Texas, culminating in a big bearhug from my father, who reminded me that I attended school at the home of the nation's top football team.

Why do I remember Tony Temple scampering and hobbling across the goalline in a semi-decrepit stadium on New Year's Day 2008? Not just because it was a Cotton Bowl record in the middle of an absolute beatdown, but because I got to take in a magnificent achievement for Mizzou athletics in my hometown with the company of my closest friends in the world.

My favorite moments aren't just the moments themselves -- it's the memory of everything else they entail that stays with me forever. I imagine the same is true for any number of the stories I've heard. We've heard emotional stories about sons getting the chance to see one last game with their fathers. We've heard about parents who beam as they take their children to their first game. I can tell you about the gentlemen behind us at the Cotton Bowl, who with tears rolling down their cheeks, explained that they were MU grads of '77 and '81 and beamed with pride because their football team pulled off a 12-win season and slaughtered Arkansas in a prestigious bowl game.

Full narratives are fantastic. They give perspective. They give context. But moments are what make us sports fans, because they give us the greatest part of all:

Something to feel.

Question for discussion: Forget your "favorite" moments. Tell us about some of your most memorable moments, for whatever reason, and more importantly, tell us what else you remember about it -- where you were, what it meant to you, who you were with, how you felt, etc. EVERYONE remembers the Reesing sack in 2007 and knows its importance. Tell us about a moment with special significance to YOU.

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

Missouri fans have been spoiled in the last several years by a combination of some of the school's best talent and a bevy of genuinely likable personalities. Chase Daniel earned his way to a Heisman finish. Chase Coffman hurdled his way into our hearts. Martin Rucker fought and scrapped his way into being America's favorite tight end. We've had the quote machines in Lorenzo Williams and SPOOOOOOOOOON.

And that's all just in the last few seasons.

The Beef might make his case for Brock Olivo. An entire generation of Mizzou students will make their case for Brad Smith. Everyone I've mentioned is a fantastic and worthy pick. But my favorite player is one I don't particularly expect everyone to agree with; in fact, it's become somewhat of a running joke on Rock M Nation. My favorite player played only 20 games in a Mizzou uniform, but my appreciation for the manner in which he played the game meant that when I had the chance to purchase a game-worn uniform of his, I couldn't pass up the opportunity**. 

Cornelius "Pig" Brown: Irrationally and undeniably my favorite Mizzou player of all-time. 

Here's what I had to say about Brown WAY back in the nascent stages of RMN in early 2008 when we held our Mizzou 25 Tournament:

Continue reading this post »

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

Editor's note: Today's topic for the EA Sports "Where I Come From" series is tailgating traditions. Now, I briefly considered writing something of my own, but that would have been a sham. Instead, I turned to Rock M's own Secretary of the Tailgate, The Beef, who submitted everything below. Thanks, Beef!

It is time to talk about something near and dear to my heart, almost now as much as watching Mizzou in Memorial Stadium.  Tailgating.  The all-new and sure-to-be fantastic RMN football preview guide will have some thoughts and memories of mine on a specific tailgate, but this will allow me to share some other tips and things I think are cool about tailgating on top of whatever appears in the preview mag.  Before I go any further, I need to stop and give all credit for the tailgate I am about to describe to my wife.  Quite simply, her license plate does not say TLG8QN for nothing.

Ask yourself these questions.  Can you have a football game without a tailgate?  My answer is sure, as tailgating is really only something I have come into since my graduation.  However, the other question is whether or not you can have a tailgate without a football game?  And my answer to that is, once again, absolutely.  For me, on a Saturday, the two are entirely different experiences which just happen to go better together.

Continue reading this post »

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

• A number No. 1 ranking in December and a top four national finish.
• The most magical night at Faurot Field as Mizzou absolutely blasted Nebraska, 41-6.
• The most perfect day of football in Dallas, Texas, culminating in a Cotton Bowl record and a statement that the bowls undoubtedly got it wrong.
• Cracking the Eddie McGee code late to salvage a magical run we hadn't even started yet.
• The most perfect 58 minutes of football I've ever seen in Boulder.
• Leaving Bill Snyder Family Stadium with Mizzou AND Kansas State fans chanting "Beat KU!" with the players.
• All the names: Daniel, Temple, Franklin, J-Mac, T-Ruck, Coffman, Zo, Spoon, Pig, Willy Mo.

And, for some reason, I feel like I'm forgetting something....

Continue reading this post »

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

I wish I had a better story for you. I really do.

I wish I could spin you a story of eight generations of the RPT family who proudly boasted degrees from the University of Missouri. Maybe in another life I would wish for small-town Missourian roots, or maybe a childhood in either Kansas City or St. Louis. I wish I could tell you I was planted in front of the television as a young child watching the Tigers at every possible chance.

But the truth of the matter is that, in my own way, I'm Mizzou cliché No. 182: The out-of-stater whose eye first caught Mizzou as a result of the Missouri School of Journalism.

One of the biggest criticisms we receive at Rock M Nation is that as non-native Missourians, we don't truly have the pulse of the fan base. In a sense, it's a fair assessment, especially for myself. I'm a native Texan, a brother of aTexas A&M Aggie graduate and the son of an Alabama Crimson Tide alumnus. My blood wasn't born black and gold. But in a sense, that may be the single-most important asset to my fandom.

My Missouri fandom was not preordained. My Missouri fandom was not a matter or circumstance. My Missouri fandom was MY choice, MY legacy, MY burden, and MY joy.

So, to you Missouri fans, I open up the floor. How did you become a Mizzou fan?

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

Just to give RMN readers a quick heads up, today we will be launching a new series titled "Where I Come From," which I hope will accomplish several goals.

First and foremost, I hope it encourages Missouri fans to share their own stories, their own traditions, their own past favorites, and join us to take part in the camaraderie of Mizzou fandom. But, in addition, I hope to provide a little bit of insight as to my own background (As some of you might know and others of you might not expect, my Mizzou blood is neither genetic nor geographical). I hope the RMN community will get behind this effort as we start the ball rolling later today. Here's a tentative schedule of what we'll be discussing if you want to get a head start on some of your answers:

Later today: How I Became A Mizzou Fan

Tuesday, July 6: My All-Time Favorite Missouri Team

Wednesday, July 7: Tailgating

Thursday, July 8: My All-Time Favorite Mizzou Player

Friday, July 9: Most Memorable Moments

Monday July 12: Expectations for 2010

Tuesday July 13: Call in sick -- NCAA Football 2011 is released