January 5, 1999

The final football polls are in and the Missouri Tigers occupy a spot in both national lists. MU ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll and 25th in the USA Today/ESPN poll. A year ago, Mizzou stood 23rd in both final football rankings. With spots in the final polls in two straight seasons, it's the first time that MU has been ranked in back-to-back seasons since 1968 and '69, when the Tigers were 9th and 6th, respectively, in the AP post-bowl rankings.

The Tigers, 34-31 victors over West Virginia in the Insight.com Bowl, were not included in the 1998 pre-season rankings by AP and USA Today/ESPN, but after that they were ranked in 15 consecutive AP polls - most ever for Mizzou in one season. Missouri has now been ranked in 20 of the last 21 AP polls.

Coach Larry Smith will return 10 starters for 1999 -- five on offense and five on defense. The season begins Sept. 4, when MU will entertain Alabama-Birmingham on Faurot Field in Columbia.