Missouri has only been a part of the SEC since 2012, but it’s worth remembering that the Tigers have had a number of successful seasons since their 1890 establishment.

The Tigers have won 15 conference championships, five divisional championships and two non-consensus national championships. They’ve made 31 bowl appearances (going 15-16 in those games), they’ve represented seven conferences (although most of them were improvements on the previous conference), and they’ve spent several seasons independent of any conferences.

And they’ve certainly made their mark on the SEC in the last four seasons.

A team like Missouri is bound to have some pretty impressive seasons, but some are better than others.

So here are the best five seasons in Mizzou history over its 125-year lifespan.

1960: 11-0* (6-0), BIG EIGHT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS, NON-CONSENSUS NATIONAL CHAMPIONS, No. 5 FINAL AP RANKING,

The 1960 season was arguably the best for the Missouri Tigers. In his third season with Mizzou, head coach Dan Devine led the Tigers to an outstanding 10-1 record, with the team’s only loss coming at the hands of conference rival Kansas. Later, however, the Jayhawks’ 23-7 win was forfeited because of a recruiting violation centering on Kansas RB Bert Coan.

The Tigers finished the season No. 1 according to the Poling System, but the AP Poll ranked them at No. 5 and placed Minnesota in the No. 1. It’s worth noting that Ole Miss was also a non-consensus national champion in 1960, getting the vote from the Football Writers Association of America.

Mizzou’s consolation prize: facing Navy and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Bellino in the Orange Bowl. And, boy, was it a showdown for the history books. The Tigers came out on top, beating the Midshipmen 21-14, but the loss to Kansas — forfeited or not— had already robbed Missouri of its consensus national title hopes.

*Original 10-1 record was changed to 11-0 after Kansas forfeited its win

1965: 8-2-1 (6-1), No. 6 FINAL AP RANKING

Devine again led the Tigers on another championship run in 1965. Unfortunately, the only conference loss on Mizzou’s record was to Nebraska, giving them the divisional title. Nebraska proceeded to play — and lose to —No. 4 Alabama in the Orange Bowl.

Alabama went on to share the national championship honors with Michigan State, while Missouri went on to face Florida in the Sugar Bowl. The Tigers defeated the Gators 20-18, but it was a hard-fought win, and then-Gators QB Steve Spurrier ended up securing the MVP honors despite having lost the game.

1969: 9-2 (6-1), BIG EIGHT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS, No. 6 FINAL AP RANKING

In his 12th season with the Tigers, Devine and his team had their biggest win ever over conference foe Oklahoma. The Sooners jumped ahead early to a 10-0 lead only to be stifled from there as Missouri walked away with the 44-10 victory.

Unfortunately, the Tigers’ stellar season ended on a down note in a 10-3 loss to No. 2 Penn State in the Orange Bowl. If Mizzou had defeated the Nittany Lions, it would have no doubt been in the national championship conversation.

2007: 12-2 (7-1), BIG 12 NORTH CHAMPIONS, NON-CONCENSUS NATIONAL CHAMPIONS, No. 4 FINAL AP RANKING, No. 7 FINAL BCS RANKING

Head coach Gary Pinkel’s 2007 Tigers were full of talent, and they boasted some of the best players in Missouri history. That included TE Martin Rucker, TE Chase Coffman, WR Jeremy Maclin and QB Chase Daniel. Heisman Trophy finalist Daniel led the Tigers to their first 12-win season.

One of the biggest wins was over conference rival Kansas, who was sitting in the No. 2 spot at the time. The 36-28 thriller bumped Mizzou into the No. 1 spot in BCS rankings, but after a heartbreaking loss to Oklahoma in the conference championship, the Tigers dropped to No. 7.

After a very successful 2007 regular season, the Tigers delivered an outstanding performance in the Cotton Bowl against Arkansas and Heisman winning RB Darren McFadden. The Mizzou defense held McFadden to just 105 yards and 1 TD. The big bowl victory pushed the Tigers into No. 1 in the A&H poll, but the AP Poll still placed Missouri in the No. 4 spot.

2013: 12-2 (7-1), SEC EAST CHAMPIONS, No. 5 FINAL AP RANKING, No. 8 FINAL BCS RANKING

In Missouri’s second season in the SEC, Pinkel led the Tigers on a surprising 11-1 run all the way to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. The Tigers lost 59-42 to No. 3 Auburn, who then went on to drop a heartbreaker to No. 1 Florida State in the BCS National Championship Game.

Despite the two losses on the season, Mizzou and Pinkel showed the SEC that they belonged, and the season was capped with a punishing 41-31 win over No. 13 Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl.

HONORABLE MENTION

1968: 8-3 (5-2), No. 9 Final AP Ranking

Under the leadership of Devine, the Tigers finished 7-3 in the regular season. But the biggest accomplishment was Mizzou’s 35-10 Gator Bowl win over the legendary Bear Bryant and his Crimson Tide. You might also remember All-American Tigers CB Roger Wehrli, who broke numerous records as a punt returner that season.

2014: 11-3 (7-1), SEC East Champions, No. 14 Final AP Ranking, No. 16 Final CFP Ranking

For the second year in a row, the Tigers were named SEC East champions, and for the second year in a row they lost in the SEC Championship Game. This time, it was a 42-13 loss to national championship contender Alabama. Throughout the season, Mizzou had a number of impressive wins over SEC opponents, but it also had the embarrassing losses to Georgia and Alabama. However, the Tigers capped it with a dominant 33-17 showing over Minnesota in the Citrus Bowl.