Part One (The Groundwork)
Part Two (1996-99)
Part Three (2000-03)
Part Four (2004-07)

You didn't think I forgot about this, did you?  In the first four parts of this series, we took a look at a) why redrawing the conference schedules on a four-year basis would be a great idea, and b) what its impact would have been if this balanced schedule approach had been taken since the beginning of the Big 12.  Today, we bring the "What if..." to the present tense and summarize.

With the 2004-07 seasons taken into account, the following five changes are made to the 'real-life' schedules for 2008-09:

• Missouri plays Texas A&M instead of Oklahoma State--ironically because ATM was 'better' (and ATM plays MU instead of ISU).
• Kansas plays Oklahoma State instead of Texas (and OSU plays KU instead of MU).
• Kansas State plays Baylor instead of Texas Tech (and BU plays KSU instead of ISU).
• Iowa State plays Texas instead of Texas A&M (and UT plays ISU instead of KU).
• Iowa State plays Texas Tech instead of Baylor (and TT plays ISU instead of KSU).

And, of course, vice versa for 2010-11.

2008

New Games

MU beats ATM in Columbia, OSU beats KU in Lawrence, Baylor beats KSU in Manhattan, Texas beats ISU in Ames, Tech beats ISU in Lubbock.

New North Standings

Missouri 6-2 (10-2) (+1 win)
Nebraska 5-3 (8-4)
Kansas 4-4 (7-5)
Colorado 2-6 (5-7)
Kansas State 2-6 (5-7)
Iowa State 0-8 (2-10)

Funny enough, the switch from OSU to ATM (to toughen up MU's schedule since they couldn't play both OSU and BU from the South's bottom tier) helps Missouri.  Playing that out, they beat ATM and move to #1 for a #1 vs #2 showdown against Texas the next week.  It's possible that the loss to OSU really did steal the Missouri offense's mojo, and that they'd have played better against UT if they had come in undefeated, but...UT played so freaking well against Missouri that there was nothing MU was going to be able to do to win that game.  Mizzou moves to #1 for a week and gets trounced in Austin.

Meanwhile, nothing else in the North changes--KU doesn't have to play Texas, but they lose to OSU anyway.

New South Standings

Oklahoma 7-1 (11-1)
Texas 7-1 (11-1)
Texas Tech 7-1 (11-1)
Oklahoma State 5-3 (9-3)
Baylor 2-6 (4-8)
Texas A&M 1-7 (3-9) (-1 win)

In the end, only MU's and ATM's records change.  This is the most stable year, really, of this whole 13-year experiment.

New Big 12 Championship Game

Oklahoma 62, Missouri 21

Yeah, this doesn't change.  Stupid OU...

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Along with, well, a lot of other people.  Rejoice, Rock M Nation.

...for the last official visit weekend before Signing Day, and at least two of them will sign with Mizzou next week.  Welcome to the family, WR L'Damian Washington and DE Michael Sam.

And while we're at it, an early welcome to the family to Marquise Hill, Ronnie Wingo's cousin and a major 2010 recruit who was offered a scholarship and accepted on the spot.  The longer we can keep winning, the more kids like Hill we will produce, kids who a) are ridiculously good athletes and b) grow up dreaming of being a Tiger.

So the long, national nightmare is over: Ronnie Wingo has selected where he chooses to spend the next 4-5 years.  And it's not Columbia.

This is a big loss for Mizzou in a "Football Recruiting is a sport in itself, and we want to send a message that we're sealing the borders" kind of way, and I don't want to project a "We didn't want him anyway" kind of pouty vibe, but...Wingo wasn't at the top of my wish list because, honestly, I'm not sure he has a position.  If we'd landed him, I already had an "I'm not sure where he plays, but I'm glad we landed him" message planned out.  If you look at his film, you see a good high school running back...but not necessarily a great one.  He's a 200m champion in a 6'3, 215 package, and I'd have loved for Mizzou to get a chance to mold him into a good RB, WR, TE, DB, or LB, but this isn't a can't-miss prospect here.  And if he's going to end up not living up to his 4-star hype, I'd rather he do it somewhere else--it seems (and this could be my own biases and perceptions) that Mizzou sometimes seems to get blamed when big-time St. Louis prospects don't hit the bigtime.

I'm only saying this because this is going to be treated as a big loss*, and from a "We lost a difference maker" way, I'm just not sure it is.  In the sport of college football recruiting, we suffered a big loss this evening.  But in the sport of college football, I'm not as sure.  I wish Ronnie luck--it seemed like he really was torn up trying to make this decision--but as a Mizzou fan I'm already moving on**.

* Sheldon Richardson, on the other hand...yeah, let's just say I'll be having to bite my tongue and not overreact if he were to shock everybody and commit to Miami or something.  That would be a HUGE loss.

** Though if we lose his cousin Marquise Hill, long considered a Mizzou lock, because of this, I'm gonna be pissed.

I don't know if anyone is watching the East-West Shrine Bowl, but if you are, feel free to comment on Daniel and Sulak's performances here.

Just said so at his press conference.

UPDATE, rptgwb: I had to add the photo from the season countdown...

A look back at the season that was in Missouri football.

Note: Video may require Quicktime

Photos courtesy: MU Athletic Department, Columbia Daily Tribune, The Maneater, Kansas City Star, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Associated Press

Disclaimer: Rather than the typical bullet point analysis, this post will be a long and meandering string of thoughts I forced into prose. Hang with me here as I give you a summation of my thoughts from four rows up in the Alamodome end zone.

Having been what appears to be one of the select few of RMN regulars who made it down to San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl, there's not much that hasn't been said here that I can add. More than anything, for as disappointing as the season was, it seemed like a season of moderate disappointment was bookended in similar fashion. Missouri began the season with a shootout with a Big Ten team that was fueled by a Maclin return in the first half and Sean Weatherspoon's dominance in the second half. Substitute "shootout" with "slugfest," and you have the exact recipe of Mizzou's Alamo Bowl victory.

Before I delve too deeply into Missouri's end of the equation, I first want to send some love the way of Evanston, Ill. As the 2008 campaign progressed, I was highly enamored with the coaching jobs done by the men in charge of two of Missouri's opponents: Buffalo's Turner Gill and Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy. You can now add Pat Fitzgerald to that list. I've always loved his fire, but after last night, I now respect the man's ability. It should have come as no surprise to me how disciplined NU was defensively and how solid the unit was in pursuit and in wrapping up ballcarriers.

Secondly, I think this game swings far more in favor of Missouri had Tyrell Sutton not been able to go. Before the game, it was clear from highlights that Sutton added a different dynamic to the NU offense, one I asked Lake the Posts to try and quantify last Thursday. Between outstanding balance, great hands (despite one being in a cast), a never-ending motor, and some quick burst, Sutton proved himself as the perfect scat back for NU's style of offense.

The atmosphere at the game seemed very reflective of the attitudes of each school entering the game. The Northwestern players and fans looked absolutely thrilled to be in San Antonio, while the Missouri players and fans looked somewhat determined to redefine the word "complacency." The warmups seemed uninspired, the drills seemed rusty. As ghtd36 passed on in the game thread, the team found motivation from the one man we knew we could count on to try to light a fire: Tommy Saunders (love that kid).

More rambling after the jump.

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