The Michael Sam narrative and the sociological strides that are occurring in all zones of society – including high-level competitive sports – dominated the press this past offseason when it came to the Missouri Tigers.
When the Tiger beat Georgia in an opening week thriller it looked like last season might be the year they break through on the promise they have been building over the years.
Head coach Gus Malzahn really cooked up a magical season in 2013. The Tigers pulled off a couple of nail-biting victories, and that’s not counting Chris Davis’s legendary “Kick Six” in the Iron Bowl versus Alabama.
The combination of the continuity of the Les Miles coaching regime and the recruiting hotbed that is the Louisiana-east Texas area always has the cupboards well-stocked in Baton Rouge. Whether you’re making a gumbo or assembling a football team, that is a desirable position to be in.
The Tigers have been playoff regulars of late, last year losing a series to the eventual champion Red Sox that definitely left a bad taste in their mouth.
Auburn had a staggering fall last season to a season of zero wins in the SEC and a 3-9 overall record. The performance, or lack thereof, cost coach Gene Chizik his job and it is hard to believe that this program won a national title within the last recruiting cycle.
Ever since Alabama rose to the top of the SEC West, and the nation, LSU has been forced to take a backseat…and they don’t like it. These two teams have waged some great battles over the last few seasons but the majority of the time Alabama has come out on top so they have grabbed the spoils.
Things did not go swimmingly for Missouri in their first tour of the SEC last season as they dealt with injuries and poor performance overall. They were able to notch only two conference victories against the bottom of the SEC East, Tennessee and Kentucky.
The Clemson Tigers should definitely be considered among a handful of teams capable of winning the national championship this final season of the BCS. They have a very good base of talent, a schedule that is challenging enough to put them in the equation and seem to have found the ability not to fall completely apart when you least expect, the way a number of Clemson teams have done in the past.
Memphis is one of the few FBS schools driven by hoops, which is why they were happy to join the former Big East. Even though the league has dramatically transformed the football program is still pretty subpar making its chances of being even mediocre probably about the same as in their former league, Conference USA.
The Tigers came close last year, making it all the way to the World Series before running into a Giants team that wouldn’t be denied.
The Memphis Tigers are clearly the class of Conference USA. They are blessed with quite a bit of talent and for the first time in years some experience too as they will likely start a senior, 3 juniors and a sophomore.
Last year was a pretty good start to the Stan Haith era at Mizzou – even if it ended with a thud due to a first round exit against Norfolk State.
Last year, the Clemson Tigers were the Figure 1A example of a “feast or famine” team in college football. The Tigers started out a flawless 8-0 and ranked #6 in the AP poll, only to lose four of their last six.
With the arrival of Mizzou to the SEC (along with Texas A&M this season) a third team with the “Tigers” nickname is added to the conference fray. Missouri hopes to distinguish itself far more than its mascot, however.
Auburn fans weren’t thrilled when Gene Chizik, then from Iowa State, was hired to replace Tommy Tuberville, but Chizik has done an excellent job with the Tigers. He delivered the program’s second national title in 2010, its first since 1957.
