Latest BCS Rankings: Mizzou @ #6

[BigDCardlvr]

I guess why I have a tinge of anxiety is because Missouri has never been in a position like this and I worry about them tightening up. It just seems that with all the weapons Missouri has that there is absolutely no way KU should be able to hold them down.

No doubt, it's a rivalry game and that alone means anything can happen. I'm definitely not worried from the standpoint of "KU is as good as we are" though. They're not, and we'll have to screw something up not to beat them.

I'm with Gateway on this. Unchartered waters. Don't blow it....

I think, if they win out, the Tigers could be playing for the national championship. They would only need any two of the top three to lose one game and KU to win out up to the Mizzou game. The way this year is going, and with Dixon possibly injured, Oregon could lose and who would be surprised if Michigan didn't salvage their year with a win against the buckeyes?

[JL21]

I'll always be nervous about Mizzou football. Years of torment will do that to you. Logistically, should they beat the crap out of KU? Probably. But I never, ever, ever take anything for granted.

[PujolJunkie]

I think we can all agree. If it comes down to that game against KU that decides whether we finish with 1 loss or 2.. that we're all going to be covering our eyes for about 90% of the game. And the other 10% will pass out after the first play from scrimmage. I couldn't be any more nervous about anything.

[GatewaySnayke]

Joe Strauss has the Mizzou world against him.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports ... enDocument

If a No. 7 national ranking doesn't confirm Missouri's rise as at least a passing football power, Tigers coach Gary Pinkel offered irrefutable validation earlier this week.

Pinkel defined his fan base.

"You have the seventh-ranked team in the United States of America. If we don't have 65,000, something is wrong," Pinkel told KMOX (1120 AM) in an interview broadcast Tuesday night.

No matter if it's the first day of deer hunting season or the arrival of some gawdawful Texas A&M team and its tipsheet-selling coach, the Tigers' head whistle-blower believes fans should measure up to their team and attend Senior Day at Faurot Field on Saturday.


Pinkel could argue that an 8-1 team featuring an entertaining offense and a quarterback who deserves mention among the 10 most deserving Heisman Trophy candidates should enjoy overflow commitment from a long-starved fan base.

"This game is important," said Pinkel, who has yet to identify one as unimportant. "Fans make a difference. Great fans don't care who you play. They don't care if a team hasn't won a game or they've won all the games. They really don't care. It's more about their team and the team they're supporting."

Apparently great fans don't care that they've traditionally been fed a steady diet of nonconference mush to complement the weaker division within a midlevel power conference.

"Gimme a heapin' helpin' of that Illinois State (burp) to go with some Iowa State, then wash it down with some Western Michigan. The more directional and 'Football Championship Subdivision' schools the better."

Most of all, this is about self-perception. Mizzou makes no pretense about having established itself as a big boy. In many ways it still seeks an identity that midlevel Southeastern Conference and Pac-10 schools long ago achieved. (Sorry, Ole Miss long ago landed in the SEC's Relegation League.)

An unscientific August survey of BCS conference schedules performed in the Busch Stadium press box concluded that Missouri and Kansas boasted the two weakest slates. The dividend is a top 10 ranking for each. The drag is that Pinkel must dare his fan base to show for Senior Day against a down-and-out conference foe.

"I think it's important first to build a culture of winning, a culture of being competitive, a culture of success," offers athletics director Mike Alden. "We're not talking about one year. I think you can revisit that at some point down the road."

Credit Alden for honesty. He makes no pretense about puffing up a 2008 home schedule that begins with Southeast Missouri, Nevada and Buffalo or that entices SMU for a home-and-home in 2009-10. El Tigres have three remaining open dates for 2010, four for 2011 and 2012, and five beyond that. Right now, Alden can't see deep enough into the future to predict a change in thinking.

"I think philosophically our intention would be to stay the course," Alden says, rightly noting the value of the Tigers' annual season opener against Illinois without savoring the value of, say, a home-and-home against Tennessee, Michigan or UCLA.

Alden mentions I-AA (the dreaded "FCS"), the WAC, the Sun Belt, Conference USA and the Mountain West as providing nonconference filler for the foreseeable future.

Tastes great, less filling.

Without huge nonconference games, chances for national television exposure diminish. Recruiting remains confined. Give Chase Daniel the same numbers in the SEC and he doesn't have to buy a ticket to the Heisman announcement. Give him a bust-out performance against Penn State in September and maybe he takes the thing home.

"I think you have to consider that when you look at national recruiting," Alden concedes. "But are you winning? Regardless of whom you're playing, are you winning? It doesn't matter if you're playing Arkansas State or Arkansas. It matters that you win."

Alden believes the Internet and the crush of game day broadcasts make network coverage less relevant. "If you're winning, people are going to find you," he says. "I think the key is you're competitive and you're winning. That itself gives you a chance to get out there. It's not as critical to be out in Eugene, Ore., to have a greater presence."

But isn't greater presence exactly what Coach P. asks for this weekend?

[Swatcat27]

Again, I'm more worried about the K-state game. While this stems from the recent years of agony following MU football, maybe a good whooping on the Wildcats will lead me to a very much relaxed & enjoyable Arrowhead clash. I think, it's just a matter of my confidence as well.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

What a terrible article by Strauss. Mizzou's SOS is better than several schools around them in the rankings, including kU, WVU, Oklahoma and OSU. They're right next to USC SOS-wise, and they played two power conference schools non-conference.

Honestly, who is stupid enough to put "An unscientific August survey of BCS conference schedules performed in the Busch Stadium press box concluded that Missouri and Kansas boasted the two weakest slates" in a column written in November?

[GatewaySnayke]

What a terrible article by Strauss. Mizzou's SOS is better than several schools around them in the rankings, including kU, WVU, Oklahoma and OSU. They're right next to USC SOS-wise, and they played two power conference schools non-conference.

Honestly, who is stupid enough to put "An unscientific August survey of BCS conference schedules performed in the Busch Stadium press box concluded that Missouri and Kansas boasted the two weakest slates" in a column written in November?

LOL - wasn't that the stupidest thing ever?

Go read some of his chat from today. He continues looking like an idiot.

[longhornbaseball]

So to be in the National Championship...

Ohio State: Needs to win vs. Illinois and at Michigan.
LSU: Needs to win vs. Louisiana Tech, at Mississippi, vs. Arkansas, and the SEC Championship game. Also needs one loss from Ohio State or Kansas.
Oregon: Needs to win at Arizona, at UCLA, and vs. Oregon State. Also needs one loss from two of Ohio State, Kansas, and LSU.
Kansas: Needs to win at Oklahoma State, vs. Iowa State, vs. Missouri, and the Big 12 Championship game.
Oklahoma: Needs to win vs. Baylor, at Texas Tech, vs. Oklahoma State, and the Big 12 Championship game. Also needs one loss from two of Ohio State, LSU, and Oregon.
Missouri: Needs to win vs. Texas A&M, at Kansas State, at Kansas, and the Big 12 Championship game. Also needs one loss from two of Ohio State, LSU, and Oregon.

Taking the probability of all these things into account, here is how I estimate each team's chances at being in the National Championship.

Oregon: 34.0%
Ohio State: 20.5%
LSU: 20.2%
Oklahoma: 9.7%
Kansas: 6.5%
Missouri: 6.1%
Other: 3.0%

EDIT FOR THE SPORTS BETTERS: I'm not sure if these are correct but based on the odds at this site, Missouri (at 30:1) is the safest bet to win the National Championship. Based on my odds, you would break even which is pretty good when it comes to sports bets of this nature.

[cardsfansince82]

So to be in the National Championship...

Ohio State: Needs to win vs. Illinois and at Michigan.
LSU: Needs to win vs. Louisiana Tech, at Mississippi, vs. Arkansas, and the SEC Championship game. Also needs one loss from Ohio State or Kansas.
Oregon: Needs to win at Arizona, at UCLA, and vs. Oregon State. Also needs one loss from two of Ohio State, Kansas, and LSU.
Kansas: Needs to win at Oklahoma State, vs. Iowa State, vs. Missouri, and the Big 12 Championship game.
Oklahoma: Needs to win vs. Baylor, at Texas Tech, vs. Oklahoma State, and the Big 12 Championship game. Also needs one loss from two of Ohio State, LSU, and Oregon.
Missouri: Needs to win vs. Texas A&M, at Kansas State, at Kansas, and the Big 12 Championship game. Also needs one loss from two of Ohio State, LSU, and Oregon.

Taking the probability of all these things into account, here is how I estimate each team's chances at being in the National Championship.

Oregon: 34.0%
Ohio State: 20.5%
LSU: 20.2%
Oklahoma: 9.7%
Kansas: 6.5%
Missouri: 6.1%
Other: 3.0%

EDIT FOR THE SPORTS BETTERS: I'm not sure if these are correct but based on the odds at this site, Missouri (at 30:1) is the safest bet to win the National Championship. Based on my odds, you would break even which is pretty good when it comes to sports bets of this nature.

I don't understand your breakdown. You have the percent chance of being in the National Championship game adding up to 100%. Two teams will make it. Are you setting probabilities of winning it? If so, there is no way Oregon should be the odds on favorite considering there is a high probability they won't even make the game. Ohio State and LSU should be the favorites because they are the most likely to make the game.

Why does LSU need anyone but Kansas to lose? Hell, even if in the unlikely scenario that Kansas wins out LSU could still be in the title game over them. Once you reach number one or two in the BCS it is pretty hard for someone to overtake you, especially considering that LSU will bolster their resume should they beat a Georgia or someone else in the SEC championship.

[longhornbaseball]

I don't understand your breakdown. You have the percent chance of being in the National Championship game adding up to 100%. Two teams will make it.

You are correct, that was a goof on my part. 41% for OSU, 40% for LSU, 67% for Oregon, 13% for KU, 20% for OU, 13% for MIZZOU.

If so, there is no way Oregon should be the odds on favorite considering there is a high probability they won't even make the game. Ohio State and LSU should be the favorites because they are the most likely to make the game.

Do you think its more likely that OSU and LSU make the NC because they are currently #1 and #2? Because I think its more likely that Oregon wins out and OSU or LSU loses allowing the Ducks to jump one of them in the standings.

Why does LSU need anyone but Kansas to lose? Hell, even if in the unlikely scenario that Kansas wins out LSU could still be in the title game over them. Once you reach number one or two in the BCS it is pretty hard for someone to overtake you, especially considering that LSU will bolster their resume should they beat a Georgia or someone else in the SEC championship.

LSU needs to win out and have either OSU or KU to lose. If KU runs the table defeating two top 5 teams in the process, I don't see how they wouldn't jump LSU. I'm not completely sure how the BCS works though.