Missouri fighting respect in addition to Crimson Tide

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

What must Mizzou do?

The Missouri Tigers have won back-to-back Eastern Division championships in the mighty Southeastern Conference yet still field questions about a lack of respect on college football's national landscape. Missouri's 22 victories the past two seasons are topped nationally by only Florida State, Michigan State and Ohio State.

"It's a consistency of winning and winning at a high level in a very, very difficult and competitive league," Tigers coach Gary Pinkel said. "I've always brought up that you earn respect and that's how you get it, and hopefully we've gained some respect. We'll see how it goes from here."

A gargantuan opportunity awaits Saturday as the No. 16 Tigers face No. 1 Alabama in the Georgia Dome for the SEC title.

Missouri is more than capable of winning division championships, having claimed Big 12 North titles in 2007 and '08. The Tigers have added two SEC East titles within their first three years in their new league, but they still are seeking their first overall conference championship since sharing the Big Eight title in 1969 with Nebraska.

That can lead to a lack of respect, as did Missouri's 5-7 debut in the SEC two years when the Tigers were ravaged by injuries on the offensive line. Even this year's team suffered a loss to Indiana and a 34-0 skunking by Georgia, with each of those games coming at home.

The Tigers have a 10-2 record but are No. 16 in the College Football Playoff rankings, the lowest ranking of any 10-2 team from a power five conference and behind three 9-3 teams.

"I think they've done fantastic," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "They've won the East two years in a row. They finished 12-2 last season and won the Cotton Bowl. They've won six straight games this year, and I think they're one of the best teams in our league, no doubt, and certainly very deserving of what they've accomplished.

"They've got a good quarterback and good receivers, and they've got a nationally ranked defense that has some real pass-rush specialists, so this is an outstanding team. I think they've done a great job since they've joined the league and especially in the last two years."

photo Missouri defensive lineman Shane Ray.

Missouri had a 56-24 overall record in its last six seasons as a Big 12 member, but the 5-7 introduction to the SEC had many believing the Tigers would remain in the East's lower echelon. Instead, they have won at every East venue the past three seasons, swept Kentucky and Tennessee and have defeated Florida the past two years by an average score of 39-15.

The Tigers are 16-8 in SEC games since joining, which is second to Georgia's 18-6 record among East members.

"There are a lot of good teams in the Big 12, but in my opinion there is not the number of teams," Pinkel said. "One thing that I've always thought about the SEC when I was in the Big 12 or ever since I've been coaching is that the SEC is a line-of-scrimmage league and that if you want to be good, you've got to be good on the line of scrimmage. It's a very physical league, and I think consistently throughout the league it's that way.

"We did not change our recruiting, but we were certainly aware that the line of scrimmage in the SEC is different, and you've got to be physical if you want an opportunity to win."

Missouri was not physical enough in last season's SEC championship game, as Auburn pounded the Tigers for 545 rushing yards and 677 yards overall. Auburn tailback Tre Mason was the overwhelming choice as game MVP after rushing 46 times for 304 yards and four touchdowns.

Pinkel's Tigers, who had 534 yards of their own but got shut out in the fourth quarter, remember the feeling after last December's game and are hoping it can serve as a positive against the Crimson Tide.

"It's easy to stay focused each game and not thinking of a game differently, but the SEC championship is a monumental game," offensive lineman Mitch Morse said. "It's like a once-in-a-lifetime experience to show up in Atlanta and just see what kind of comes with the game. We now know what this game means and what we need to bring to the table."

Said defensive end Markus Golden: "We had worked hard to get there, but we told ourselves that we would work hard to get back in this same position. We've just got to play the Mizzou way and do everything our coaches tell us to."

Alabama has won three of the past five national championships and has been favored in 66 consecutive games, so a Missouri win Saturday certainly would result in some profound respect -- and that elusive conference championship to go along with it.

"This is their second time playing in the SEC championship game, and any team that can repeat in the East is a great team and a great program," Alabama safety Nick Perry said. "We are definitely not overlooking these guys, because they definitely deserve to be there. They are a great team with great players and a great coach.

"I think it's going to be a great game."

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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