In what was easily the most highly anticipated schedule announcement of Missouri's history (since, for most of Missouri's history, there has been no anticipation for schedules -- one day, they simply exist), the 2012 SEC football schedule was revealed today at the SEC's official website.

Here is Missouri's first SEC slate:

September 8: Georgia
September 22: at South Carolina
October 6: Vanderbilt
October 13: Alabama
October 27: Kentucky
November 3: at Florida
November 10: at Tennessee
November 24: at Texas A&M

It's on, eh?

Here are the 2011 F/+ rankings for next year's conference opponents: No. 2 Alabama, No. 11 Georgia, No. 15 South Carolina, No. 19 Texas A&M, No. 45 Florida, No. 46 Vanderbilt, No. 52 Tennessee, No. 91 Kentucky.

Average rank : 35.1
Average rank (without max and min): 31.3

Here are the average 2011 F/+ rankings for this year's conference opponents: No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 19 Texas A&M, No. 23 Baylor, No. 27 Texas, No. 36 Kansas State, No. 73 Iowa State, No. 77 Texas Tech, No. 112 Kansas.

Average rank : 42.0
Average rank (without max and min): 37.6

So the SEC slate is a little more difficult ... except for one thing: the Big 12 schedule featured nine games. Add what will probably be a second FCS opponent to the mix (for these purposes, we'll say they rank 121st out of 120 FBS teams) as Game No. 9, and here are the new averages for next year's SEC slate:

Average rank: 44.7
Average rank (without max and min): 39.9

Mizzou faces a rough slate of opponents in in 2012. But they did in 2011, too. And as long as the SEC sticks with an eight-game schedule (which probably won't be forever, mind you), the schedules really won't be any more difficult than they looked in what really was a pretty loaded Big 12. The SEC is a little better at the top and, usually, the bottom, but the Big 12 was probably the strongest "middle portion" conference in the country this year.

The major difference, of course: there is no "non-conference season" anymore. By October 1, Mizzou will have already hosted Georgia and Arizona State (probably) and traveled to South Carolina, and at least one, and maybe two, of the usual "tuneup" games versus lesser opponents won't happen until the back half of the schedule. And for better or worse, Senior Day will likely be against Directional Tech.

The major remaining questions on the table:

1. Who fills out the non-conference schedule? Mizzou initially had Arizona State (9/15, home), Southern Illinois (9/8, home) and Miami-Ohio (9/22, road) lined up, with one more non-conference game needed. Now, with some dates getting seirously shuffled, it is unclear whether Mizzou will retain SIU and Miami. They could be in the market for numerous new non-conference opponents (and on short notice). One thing is quite likely: Mizzou will almost certainly have to dig into the FCS ranks more than once to fill the schedule. This is almost certainly a one-time-only thing, but such is life.
   
   
2. Who comes to town for Homecoming? On the Big 12 schedule, Mizzou was scheduled to host Texas A&M for Homecoming on October 27. Now, they appear to have two options: Alabama on October 13 and Kentucky on October 27. As The Beef mentioned to me in e-mail this morning, making Alabama the Homecoming opponent would be a bit stupid, as it will sell out regardless; making Kentucky the Homecoming opponent would likely make for back-to-back home sellouts. Oh, but Bama would be a ballsy, if indeed dumb, choice, wouldn't it?
   
   
3. What are the expectations for next year? There are, presumably, three potential East Division heavyweights in 2012: Georgia, South Carolina and maybe Florida. Mizzou faces two of the three on the road. What are your optimistic expectations, and what do you figure are the more reasonable expectations?
   
   
4. How fun would it be to win in College Station for a third straight year?
   

De'Vion Moore represented Missouri with class and integrity through his four seasons in a Missouri uniform. He has been everywhere a running back can be on a depth chart -- No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, rising quickly, trickling down, etc. -- and for his career he has 242 carries, 1,216 yards and ten touchdowns to show for it. He also played an enormous role in one of Missouri's best wins, the Homecoming triumph over Oklahoma in 2010, when he rushed for 73 yards on just 10 carries and ripped off a series of brutal runs in the fourth quarter. His 39-yarder, in which he dragged a series of Sooners for 20 yards, is one of Mizzou's best ever plays. (In fact, I just got chills writing about it.)

Moore made his mark in a Tiger uniform, and he should be commended for that. He also provided what was one of my most secretly enjoyable series of moments as a Rock M writer. After each home game (and some road games/bowls), Bill Carter would tell me that pics were ready for review, and if Moore had gotten some carries in said game, I knew there was a chance that another CRAZY INTENSE EYES picture was waiting to stare at me. Consider this your De'Vion Moore Intense Eyes Compendium. And I apologize if you have trouble sleeping tonight.

Continue reading this post »

I reached out to T.H. from Carolina March and despite the craziness of the season (especially since it is both basketball and football season, and UNC fans do enjoy their basketball), he was kind enough to get back to me with some answers about the general state of their program and what Mizzou fans might expect from the game today. Take a read!

Positive, for the most part. Considering the fanbase was rather adamantly split between those who supported Butch Davis and those who felt he permanently besmirched the good name of the university, the fact that there wasn’t a large outcry from some faction says a lot. We’ll know a lot more once all the other hires have been announced and how the first draft class goes.

Despite have an entire season with an interim coach, the actual coaching search was pretty short, as there was a new athletic director to be hired as well. So there were a lot of names fans for kicking around right after Davis was fired – Mike Leach got a lot of early buzz, despite never really having a shot, in my opinion. Once Bubba Cunningham came along, Gus Malzahn was assumed to be the front-runner, as he and Cunningham had worked together at Tulsa, and Chris Petersen was name-dropped a lot, because Chris Petersen is listed in every coaching search, and will be until the end of time.

Continue reading this post »

Part 1: Mizzou 27, North Carolina 14 (1973)
Part 2: In The Bleachers Podcast

The 1976 season is one of most exhilarating and frustrating campaigns in Missouri's history. The same season that included two Missouri's most famous upsets (46-25 over USC, 22-21 over Ohio State) also featured some of their most inexplicable losses, and eventually the Tigers limped to 6-5 in one of the strongest seasons in Big 8 history (five teams won at least eight games). Here's what I wrote about 1976 last summer:

It's amazing that the team that beat the #8, #2 and #3 teams in one season, all on the road, couldn't crack the Top 30 [of the summer's Top 100 countdown]. I mentioned how you could write a book about the 1997 season ... well you could do the same about the 1976 squad that...

• ...killed #8 USC on the road, 46-25.
• ...then got killed at home by a mediocre-at-best Illinois squad, 31-6.
• ...then beat #2 Ohio State in Columbus, 22-21, with their backup quarterback.
  
• ...then whipped #14 North Carolina at home, 24-3.
• ...then lost at home to Iowa State, 21-17.
• ...then beat #3 Nebraska in Lincoln, 34-24.
• ...then lost at #16 Oklahoma State, 20-19.
• ...then beat #14 Colorado at home, 16-7, and gave #14 Oklahoma a good scare before falling, 27-20, in Norman.
• ...then got whipped at home by a 6-5 Kansas squad, 41-14, to finish a mediocre 6-5 and miss out on a bowl bid for the third consecutive year (they were bowl eligible all three years, so naturally that would have been different today).
  

Never mind a football book about this team ... somebody needs to write a psychology book about this team (and, for that matter, whoever threw this schedule together -- Mizzou played NINE games against teams that finished with a winning record). They played seven ranked teams and went a ridiculous 5-2 against them ... and went 1-3 against unranked teams. Onofrio certainly wasn't lacking in whatever qualities it requires to get your team up for big games, but ... 1-3! A crazy, crazy year. Fans looking back on this year are more likely to remember the upset wins than the losses, which is why a lot of fans like the idea of rough non-conference schedules -- they love being able to talk about the wins without remembering all the losses. But this was a season chock full of missed opportunities. Nobody can question, however, that this was a damn fine football team when it wanted to be ...

Tucked in amid the exhilaration and frustration was a visit from team decked in Tar Heel blue. It was actually a rather big-time matchup -- Mizzou ranked 12th following their surprising win in Columbus, while North Carolina was 4-0 and ranked 14th. Led by a ball-control attack and the powerful running of Mike Voight, who would go on to rush for 1,400 yards and score 18 touchdowns, the Heels were the third ranked opponent Mizzou had faced in four weeks. Mizzou was ready.

Continue reading this post »

I'm serious … watching James Franklin in the first half of Missouri's win over Kansas was like watching me play tennis in high school. Once the wind got in my head, I was through. With the wind, I would take too much off the ball; against the wind, I wouldn't put enough on it. I would over-compensate, under-compensate, etc.

The same thing happened to Franklin. Against the wind, he was throwing even dump-offs behind running backs and T.J. Moe, and his first interception was a bomb knocked down by an invisible hand. On his third interception, with the wind, he had Michael Egnew breaking free toward the corner, only he overcompensated and threw the ball far too lightly. (His second pick, as far as I could tell, was just a terrible read and a pass thrown into triple coverage.)

Kansas deserves credit for reading the ball, securing the picks and, in the case of Bradley McDougald on the third pick, making a lovely return for Kansas' only touchdown. Still, the announcer cliches were flowing freely and driving me crazy, suggesting that "effort" was responsible for KU's early lead, and that "relentless pressure" was causing the picks instead of just awful throws. There was no pressure that I can remember on the first pick, and only marginal pressure on the third. Crediting effort completely ignored the fact that Mizzou's defense allowed 60 yards and two first downs in the first half. Franklin had a horrible half, and the Kansas defensive line was indeed having a bit too much success against the Mizzou offensive line, but the advantage went to Mizzou in most of the other unit battles.

Credit goes to Franklin, then, for sucking it up in the second half and figuring out how to adjust. On Mizzou's second touchdown drive, he made a tough pass to Jerrell Jackson (one that had me holding my breath until it reached its target), then he made an absolutely gorgeous toss to Wes Kemp for the go-ahead touchdown. In the fourth quarter, he put the game away with one of his best long balls of the season, the 53-yarder to Marcus Lucas. (That was an absolutely perfect play-call, by the way -- it was the first play of the fourth quarter, and Mizzou immediately attempted to take advantage of once again having the wind at their back.)

Franklin has shown a staggering level of resilience this season. Mizzou came from 14 down to tie Arizona State, from 21 down to get within seven points of Kansas State, from 11 down to beat Texas A&M, from 18 down to within three points of Baylor, from 14 down to beat Texas Tech and from 10 down to beat Kansas.

The next step in Franklin's development is quite obvious: don't fall behind in the first place. Start more consistently, play with more early urgency, etc. Mizzou had lovely starts against teams like Oklahoma and Iowa State, but early lulls still hurt them quite a bit over the course of the 2011 season. Still, the poise and composure that potentially hurt Franklin's and Mizzou's cause early in games, usually bailed them out later on. The next two years are going to be a lot of fun.

In losses to teams like Oklahoma and Kansas State, I expressed dismay about the lack of leadership (in the form of play-making, at least) shown by the current senior class of Missouri Tigers. As exciting as it is to see so many sophomores doing nice things, a team still usually needs seniors to raise their game when the team is in need. Defensive tackles Dominique Hamilton and Terrell Resonno were playing well, linebacker Luke Lambert was playing the best football of his career, and I had no complaints about offensive tackle Dan Hoch.

Otherwise, some upperclassmen not only weren't assets, they were almost liabilities. Jerrell Jackson returned from an early injury and could in no way establish a rhythm with James Franklin. Wes Kemp was decent but not a difference-maker. De'Vion Moore was still hurt. Michael Egnew spent September half-invisible, then had an atrocious handful of drops and a fumble against Baylor. Trey Hobson was getting overtaken by Randy Ponder and Kip Edwards at cornerback.

That changed, however. Egnew had huge catches against Iowa State and Texas A&M, and his one catch versus Texas Tech was a gorgeous jump-ball touchdown at a key time. Kemp caught a 32-yard bomb in the fourth quarter against Texas Tech, then made a wonderful back-of-the-end-zone touchdown catch against Kansas. Jerrell Jackson was perhaps Franklin's most reliable target against the Jayhawks. De'vion Moore reentered the running backs rotation after Henry Josey's injury and had 14 carries for 112 yards against Texas Tech and Kansas. Lambert and Kenji Jackson just played better and better, especially in the Border War. Hamilton not only played well, but won two games with batted-down passes and cause another pick against Kansas. Jacquies Smith was quite possibly the best player on the field at Arrowhead (and if he wasn't, Lambert or K. Jackson probably were).

The seniors we questioned made a significant impact in Mizzou's 4-1 finish, and they deserve an incredible amount of credit for raising their games when Mizzou needed it most. A bowl win would give this senior class 36 wins in four years -- not bad considering that includes two rebuilding years in 2009 and 2011 -- and allow them to finish on a four-game winning streak. Without their own contributions down the stretch, that would not have been the case. It's time to tip our collective hat to the class that helped Mizzou maintain a high level of play, even in rebuilding years.

Beau Brinkley

Jimmy Costello

Continue reading this post »

Recaps

• MUtigers.com: Tigers Trounce Jayhawks 24-10 in Border Showdown
  MUtigers.com: Mizzou/Kansas Post-Game Notes
• The Trib: Franklin snaps out of funk, feasts on Jayhawks
  The Trib (Dave Matter): Emptying the Notebook: Border Snore
  
• The Missourian: James Franklin overcomes struggles to lead Missouri to Border Showdown win
  The Missourian: Missouri-Kansas lacks usual drama
  The Missourian: Fans sound off about Border Showdown, Missouri leaving for SEC
  The Missourian: PHOTO GALLERY: Missouri beats Kansas 24-10 in last game as conference rivals
• KC Star: Franklin leads Missouri to 24-10 comeback win in Border War
  KC Star: KU falls apart in second half of Border War loss
  KC Star: Out of adversity, Franklin stands and delivers for Mizzou
• Post-Dispatch: Mizzou gets last laugh on KU, 24-10
  Post-Dispatch: MU's Franklin turns things around
• PowerMizzou: Leaving in style
  PowerMizzou: Sunday Grade Card
  PowerMizzou: PHOTOS: Inside the Border War
  PowerMizzou: PMTV-HD: Pinkel post-game
  PowerMizzou: PMTV-HD: T.J. Moe
• KBIA Sports Extra: Mizzou gets down to business in second half, beats Kansas in border war
• Fox Sports MW: Tigers rally past Jayhawks in Border War rivalry
• Lawrence Journal-World: So long: Kansas gives Missouri going-away gift in 24-10 Tigers' victory
  Lawrence Journal-World: Game balls and gassers: KU vs. Missouri

THROW IT TO THE FAT GUY

• The Trib: Game Notes

  Quarterback James Franklin has earned recognition for spreading the ball around to a wide array of receivers this season, and he found an unlikely target yesterday in left tackle Justin Britt.

  Though technically not a pass, Franklin threw laterally to Britt after faking a handoff to junior tailback Kendial Lawrence on a misdirection play early in the third quarter with Missouri facing second-and-13 from the Kansas 15. The 6-foot-5, 295-pound sophomore plowed forward for a 7-yard gain.

  Britt’s teammates and Pinkel were teasing him for not reaching the end zone.

  "I got in front of Travis Ruth and said, ‘Can you believe this guy didn’t score a touchdown?’ " Pinkel said. "So we were ripping him a little bit in the locker room. He said he wanted man-to-man because nobody was going to cover him then. He said the thing that screwed it up was the zone — zone coverage.

  "Like he really knows zone coverage and man-to-man. He’s an offensive lineman."

  Apparently one with a trusted set of hands.

  Pinkel said Missouri had the play in its game plan for at least four weeks, and he had made sure to warn the officials about it each time so they didn’t mistakenly flag the Tigers for throwing to an ineligible receiver. Yesterday was the first time they put it into practice.

  Britt was erroneously credited with a reception on the final stat sheet, meaning Franklin’s passing totals were inflated to 187 yards, not 180.

Bowls?

• KC Star: Mizzou after the game: Big 12 won't help Mizzou on bowl
  

Border War History And Future

• The Trib: Border War cease-fire was more of a misfire
  The Trib: Fambrough remembered before War
  
• The Missourian: Missouri's new SEC mates play nonconference rivalry games all the time
  The Missourian: Missouri vs. Kansas might be going away, maybe that's good
  
• Post-Dispatch (Bryan Burwell): In trying to spite Mizzou, KU hurts itself
  Post-Dispatch: A rivalry like no other
  Post-Dispatch: End of MU-KU rivalry isn't so bad after all
• KC Star: Jay Nixon says MU-KU Border War should continue
  KC Star: Neither side budging in Border Cold War
  KC Star: The Star's All-Border War team
• Lawrence Journal-World: First Fam, now MU: KU looking at void
  Lawrence Journal-World: Missouri's T.J. Moe wants Border War to continue

After the worst first half of his career, James Franklin rebounded to lead Mizzou to a 24-10 in what might be the final Border War matchup for a while. It wasn't as easy as some may have hoped, but ... Mizzou gets to keep the drum for a good, long while.

(And yes, this means Rally Baby is 3-1.)

More analysis in coming days, obviously, but for now ... CELEBRATE IN THE CELEBRATION THREAD.