It's Mizzou vs. Alabama for the SEC Title
12/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
| Opponent | Location | Day/Time (CT) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | SEC Championship - Georgia Dome - Atlanta, Ga. | Saturday / 3:00 p.m. CT |
| Game Media | CBS | Live Video  | Live Stats | Live Audio |
|
| Alabama Prep | Game Notes  : Mizzou | Alabama // Depth Chart |
|
IT'S MIZZOU-ALABAMA FOR THE 2014 SEC TITLE
In just their third year in the Southeastern Conference, the Missouri Tigers (10-2 overall, 7-1 in SEC play) will be making a 2nd-straight SEC Championship Game appearance this Saturday, as Head Coach Gary Pinkel's troops (ranked 14th in the Associated Press Poll, 13th in the Coaches' Poll) will face the #1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1, 7-1) for all the SEC's marbles. Kickoff from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga., is set for 3 p.m. (central time), with the game televised on CBS.
Mizzou is coming off a hard-earned 21-14 win last Friday at home over the red-hot Arkansas Razorbacks (who came into the game after consecutive shutout wins over LSU and Ole Miss). The Tigers came into the game as underdogs, despite playing at home, and faced a 2nd-quarter deficit of 14-3, before PK Andrew Baggett connected on his second 50-yard field goal on the day to draw MU to within 14-6 at halftime. After a scoreless 3rd quarter, the Tiger offense came alive to score 15 points in the final period on a Maty Mauk-to-Jimmie Hunt TD pass (4 yards) with 12:41 left (followed by a Bud Sasser-to-Darius White 2-point pass) to tie the game, and a Marcus Murphy TD run (12 yards) with 4:38 left to take the lead. The Tiger defense, which pitched a second-half shutout for yet another outstanding performance, forced an Arkansas fumble with 2:13 left to play. Senior DE Markus Golden won a wrestling match for the ball for the recovery on the MU 35-yardline and the Tiger offense ran out the clock to clinch the win. It was Mizzou's 6th-straight victory, and improved the Tigers to 14-2 in SEC play over the last two seasons.
MIZZOU'S FIVE DIVISION TITLES SINCE 2007 IS TOPS
Picked to finish 4th in the SEC Eastern Division this year, Mizzou defied the odds to win its second-straight outright division title (in 2013, MU was predicted to finish 6th in the 7-team division, only to win it). The two SEC division titles, combined with the three that Mizzou won in the Big 12 Conference (2007, 2008, 2010) puts the Tigers in heady company. Mizzou's five conference division title since 2007 is tied for most in the nation during that stretch, along with Alabama and Florida State. Here's a look at the figures.
MOST CONFERENCE DIVISION TITLES (Power 5 Leagues), 2007-14
5 - Mizzou, Alabama, Florida State
4 - Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Oregon, Virginia Tech
3 - Florida, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Stanford, Wisconsin
Gary Pinkel IS NO STRANGER TO SUCCESS
Those who follow the Mizzou program know that Gary Pinkel's outfit is used to winning at a high level. This marks the fifth time in the last eight seasons that Mizzou has won a conference division title (2007, 2008 and 2010 Big 12 North; 2013 and 2014 SEC East). Additionally, in all five of those seasons, Mizzou has reached double-digit win totals as the Tigers went 12-2 in 2007, 10-4 in 2008, 10-3 in 2010, 12-2 in 2013, and of course the current 10-2 mark this year.
The 2014 Tigers have already made history, as they are just the sixth MU squad to win 10 games or more in a season (five coming under Pinkel). In its previous 123 seasons of football, Mizzou had won 10 games or more in 1960 (11-0 including a loss that was forfeited back to Mizzou by Kansas for using ineligible players), 2007 (12-2), 2008 (10-4), 2010 (10-3) and 2013 (12-2).
Pinkel is already the winningest coach in Mizzou history, with his 112 wins entering the SEC title bout. He is also the winningest coach in Toledo history with his 73 wins there from 1991-2000. His 185 career wins ranks as the 6th-most among active FBS-level schools.
MIZZOU SEEKING FIRST CONFERENCE TITLE SINCE 1969
A win Saturday over Alabama would give Mizzou its first conference title since 1969, when Mizzou went 6-1 in the Big Eight and tied for the title with Nebraska (MU won head-to-head tiebreaker with Nebraska that year and played in the Orange Bowl). The last outright conference title for Mizzou came back in 1960, when the Tigers went 6-1 on the field, and 7-0 in the record books, after Kansas forfeited a win over MU due to various and sundry NCAA rules shenanigans.
In all, Mizzou has won 12 conference titles in its previous 123 years of football. Here's a quick listing of Mizzou's previous conference championship teams:
- Missouri Valley - 1909, 1913, 1919, 1924, 1925, 1927
- Big Six - 1939, 1941, 1942, 1945
- Big Eight - 1960, 1969
MIZZOU EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS
In Mizzou's last two SEC East-winning seasons, Gary Pinkel's group has defied the preseason prognosticators. Mizzou won the SEC East in 2013 after being picked to finish sixth in the division in the preseason. The Tigers again were picked to finish in the bottom half of the division this season, checking in at fourth in the SEC East in the 2014 Preseason poll.
