Think of it as a Big 12 / SEC bragging rights showdown…
Missouri vs. Oklahoma State on January 3rd. The near Big 12 champ going up against the near SEC champ.
The chance to show the world that the conference MU jilted, it never should have left. To demonstrate that 10-2 in the Big 12 trumps 10-2 in the SEC.
That Missouri’s successes this year were based in no small part on luck, being in the right place at the right time against teams like Texas A&M that were down on their luck. That Missouri lost to the only two good teams it played that were healthy.
And that’s what makes January’s Cotton Bowl matchup next month so appealing.
Because if Oklahoma State runs over Missouri like Auburn did scoring 59 points – and five times this year OK State won with scores of between 42 and 59 points – and it’s defense holds, it would tarnish Missouri’s Cinderella season in the SEC.
“Yeah, it could, but I think Missouri will be a slight favorite,” Craig Glazer says. “The teams are pretty even – they’re both pretty good teams – but they’re not great teams. They’re a step behind Alabama and Auburn.”
As for Mizzou getting stuck playing OK State in the Cotton Bowl, “Remember, I said the worst thing that could happen to Missouri was going to the SEC championship game and losing,” Glazer says.
From MU Journalism School website
“I think if Oklahoma State ran over Missouri, yes, that would make a statement, but they don’t have to run over them, they just have to beat them,” Glazer says. “But if they ran over them, then they’ve got something to jump up and down about, because this was an off year for the Big 12.”
And if OK State clobbers MU and the Tigers have a mediocre season next year, watch out.
“I think it would make Missouri coach Gary Pinkel look bad and the program look questionable,” Glazer says. “It would take away the momentum of this 11-2 season. But I don’t think OK State will run over Missouri, I predict Missouri will win.”
If OSU has a few players out with injury (which is occasionally known to be the case in football), won’t any win by MU just be a big stroke of luck? So why even get all hyped up for this one? And does Pinkel get off the hot seat you describe even if he wins this game? I don’t pretend to know the answers to these questions, but I will offer this piece of advice to both Pinkel and MU fans: Better watch out over there.
Pinkel is NOT ON ANY HOT SEAT, he is a ‘hot’ coach right now, other schools wanted to hire him this week…he passed and is staying at MU, likely with a raise in salary…Hey the guy has won ten games in a couple of recent years and has MU at the Cotton Bowl again…with an 11 win season…looks good on a resume.
MU had a great year, if they beat OSU one of their all time best…good for the Tigers.
You go Glazer, Pinkel picks Cotton!!
“That Missouri’s successes this year were based in no small part on luck, being in the right place at the right time against teams like Texas A&M that were down on their luck. That Missouri lost to the only two good teams it played that were healthy.”
– change ‘Missouri’ to ‘Kansas City’ (as in Chiefs) and this paragraph applies jointly as well (substitute ‘cupcakes’ for ‘teams like Texas A& M’ and ‘DEN (x 2) and SD’, in lieu ‘only two good teams it played that were healthy’.
To the matter at hand, I expect Missouri to beat Oklahoma State, and rather handily…
Tigers opened at -2,
early $$ came in on Cowboys –
now at pick
both teams choked big-time on Saturday — so– “pick ’em”
is legit
You guys know how little I know about football, but because of the interest this year in Missouri, I’ve been following them a fair bit.
I predicted – counter to The Glaze – that Auburn would beat them and texted Craig midway thru the game that the Tigers didn’t stand a chance.
I also have chided him about the MU touchdown that should have been called back. All of that said, I don’t have much of a clue about OK State and recognize that anything could happen but…
Look at what OK State did to Big 12 champ Baylor in late November. So for the fun of it, I’m placing a bet with Craig EVEN on OK State.
Time will tell, right?