I still vividly remember Mizzou’s descent into “The Dark Age” after Dan Devine left. The skinflints that ran the joint refused to give the coaching staff a raise after Mizzou went to the ‘70 Orange Bowl (‘69 season), contrary to Mizzou tradition. It took DECADES to recover as the fan base dwindled. Mizzou is still in fairly good shape. We have an avid fan base of about 40,000 who will show up come hell or high water. We need to grow it, but it is a good foundation. The one thing Mizzou cannot do is screw up this coaching hire. It could sink this program for the next 10-20 years. I might not live long enough to see it recover.

I cannot get excited by McElwain. I want Mizzou to ante up and hire a proven championship head coach, someone who has been an SEC coordinator and knows what it takes to win in this conference. The two names that come to mind are Josh Heupel and Lane Kiffin. They both know the SEC and recruiting in SEC country. Either would be expensive, but you get what you pay for. Remember, 20,000 empty seats per game are also expensive.

I agree with Adam. Gary Pinkel played a soft defense that relied on a couple of great pass rushers to force a bad throw and D backs with enough speed to intercept the errant throw. A three and out comes from having agressive linemen and line backers who attack the offense and stop them cold, and from D backs who can cover without first giving the receiver a ten yard running start. I think we will see more three and outs this year. Mizzou still has a way to go on defense, but I think they are headed in the right direction.

Ouch! When people compliment your uniforms it usually means they can't find anything good to say about your team. See you in Athens this November!

I agree that Drew Lock has the best pro potential of any qb in the SEC, but that was not the subject of the article. This was about who had the best final game. Lock was facing Arkansas while Tagovailoa faced Auburn and Fromm faced Georgia Tech, both much better teams than Arkansas. Lock had a teerific last game, but it was against a team that had given up on the season. We will now get to see how these guys do in the post season. Should be a great show!

I have no idea how it will all look come December, but passionate argument over speculation is the mark of the true football fan. We get all worked up over what someone says will probably/sort of/maybe happen. This is fun! I love football season!

Can's ass is so bad "cupcake" would be a compliment to the Jayhoggs.

By "...no one..." I meant any Bowl Series head coach and any assistant of note. The coach Mizzou wanted most, Dayton head coach Matt Campbell, took the job at Iowa State, the quintessential coahes grave yard. He drove stait through to Ames without even stopping to pee at Mizzou. Other candidates just used Mizzou as leverage in other negotiations. There is a good reason why: no successful coach is going to take as job where the players cam walk off the practice field at any time and fire him. Mizzou was lucky to have Odom. I don't know who else could have cleaned up the wretched mess Mizzou football had become. If you fire coaches every 3-4 years you will suck for the next two decades. Mizzou will become Kansas. I think these Barry Odom haters are really Jayhawks out to sabotage the Black and Gold.

The Barry Odom haters need to sober up and put down their crack pipes. The only coach in Mizzou history to bring the Tigers to national prominence quickly was Dan Divine, who took them to the Orange Bowl in his first year, back when the bowls were everything. It takes time, and it usually is not linear, such as 5-7-9-11-CFP! Just who is it you think you will get? I hate to break it to you, but Nick Saban and Urban Meyer are not calling to enquire about employment. Odom took a job that NO ONE else wanted and has picked up the pieces and started a pretty good rebuild. He desreves more time and patience. For the Mizzou haters, Mizzou is not the only conference team to lay an egg in the post season. The SEC has not exactly been bowling them over lately, no pun intended. I wish all of our SEC family a Happy New Year! Enjoy the holiday weekend and watch our brother teams. Go Dawgs and Roll Tide!

Drew Lock can be criticized as a quarterback. As talented as he is, he is far from perfect. He has not, however, given reason for anyone to question his character. I have seen society and common values change considerably over the course of a lifetime, but we should guard against tarring all young people with too broad a brush. As a Mizzou and SEC fan I hope Lock returns next season, but this is an enormous decision for a young man to make. I wish him the best, regardless of what that decision is.

Should the SEC and Bama appologize for having two teams that are better than Ohio State? Get over it.

I think Texas would be the best opponent as far as recruiting is concerned. The next best would be Iowa. Iowa is getting a lot of attention because of their win over Ohio State and their season ending trashing of the Big Red. Florida State would be next best, and after that, West Virginia. K State next. After that, who cares?

Barry Odom has turned things around, but there is still a lot to do before winning a championship. I am not suggesting lowering the goals of the program, judy being realistic about the timeline. Before putting Coach Odom on a short leash, please ask yourself who would replace him? Changing coaches too soon would only set the program back.

Barry Odom has turned things around at Mizzou. It takes time to learn how to be a head coach at any FBS school, let alone in the SEC. Rick Neuheisel said it takes three years to figure things out. Odom did it in one and a half, well ahead of the curve. Also remember that Odom took over the worst mess in all of college football. Gary Pinkle spent many years building a program, only to let it collapse in one. NOBODY else wanted this job, where the players could throw a fit and fire the coach whenever they felt like it. Candidates simply used their interviews for leverage at other schools. The coach Mizzou wanted most, Matt Campbell, drove straight through to Iowa State (the quintessential coaches graveyard) and didn't even stop to pee at mizzou. I hate to hit you with the cold hard facts guys, but Mizzou ain't ' Bama, Oklahoma, or Ohio State. Not even close! Nick Saban and Urban Meyer are not calling to enquire about employment. PUT DOWN YOUR CRACK PIPES AND SNAP OUT OF IT! Barry Odom has brought Mizzou football back from the dead. Give Coach Odom a chance. We are still a couple of years away from another SEC East division title. Odom has earned the right to try and get us there. Look around the SEC and the rest of FBS. Programs that fire coaches every 3-4 years suck for decades. Continuity is essential. Mizzou is going to a bowl and Barry Odom is taking us there. Merry Christmas and Go Mizzou!

I liked the drive against GA, running the ball all the way down the field. If only we had settled for a FG and a nine point lead instead of forcing the ball into double coverage. Having Ross back will only make the rushing game better. One more thing, LSU is a good team with a good defense but they do not have the speed in the secondary that Mizzou has at wide receiver. These kids can flat out fly down the field. LSU has an excellent pass rush, but Mizzou's OL is very good at pass blocking and Drew Lock gets rid of the ball as quickly as anyone in the game. Mizzou has a real shot at pulling off the upset. I, too, admire Les Miles. He is a great coach, loved by players and fans alike. Unfortunately, he was not loved by the wealthy donor class, those rich jock sniffers who think they can simply buy championships. Good luck Coach Miles, wherever your journey takes you next.

I think most of these Mizzou haters are Kansas fans in disguise. Give it up, Jayhogs. We are out of the Not- So- Big 12 and we aren't going back!

This just shows how Mizzou haters cannot wait to take a shot at us, no matter how false their statements are. I am glad that most SEC fans enjoy an intelligent, yet spirited, discussion of football.

"Sins" should have been "wins". Sorry for the typo.

I am excited about Mizzou! Yes, the Tigers are 1-2. They lost to WV, but clearly showed they had superior athletes. They made numerois mistskes because of new coaches, new systems, and inexperienced players. Against Eastern Michigan the Tigers showed much improvement. Against Georgia they showed even more improvement, especially on defense. Georgia is probably the best team Mizzou will face this year. They committed FIVE turnovers and lost by one point. If they had played just a little bit smarter they would have won this game. Mizzou now has a tune up game and a chance to work out the remaining kinks before travelling to LSU. That will be a very winnable game for the Black and Gold. If the Tigers can put together back to back sins, they will have a lot of momentum going into the rest of the season. I have been a faithful Mizzou fan since January 1, 1961, an Orange Bowl win over Navy. I have NEVER seen more speed, quickness, and athleticism on any Mizzou team. This team could end up shocking the nation. MIZ-ZOU!!!

A thousand what ifs, but the final score is still 28-27. Congratulations Georgia.

I will take the SEC over any other conference, any time. This is almost Nirvana after that nut house called the Big 12 (-2). A little jaw flapping is ok with me.

This was a reply to thought2009. I don't know how it ended up here.

I don't think you realize how much speed Mizzou has at WR this year, or just how accurate Drew lock is and how quickly he releases the ball. Your secondary is not as good as you seem to believe. I can only hope that the GA players are as overconfident as you are.

I share your frustration, but I will reserve judgement a little longer. I have a hunch that once they become accustomed to this new "read and react" they will get a lot better. Still, why ____ something up that worked so well? Mizzou has only one sack in two games. Why? Because by the time they read and react the ball is already gone.

That sounds like a lazy sportswriter and yes, it is annoying.

I think it will be close, but if the 'Dawgs bring their A game on both sides of the ball they will probably win. If they struggle on defense, then Mizzou could really sting them. This should be a very good game regardless of who wins.

I hear you, Memphis Vol. That is a nice feature. The stadium could still use a few more upgrades, though. I like what you folks did in Knoxville. See you later in the year.

I think this will be a close game. I think Lock gives Mizzou the edge on offense being in his second year. Mizzou's D line has yet to show it has adjusted to the new read and react D that Missouri is now using, which gives Georgia the edge on that side of the ball. We will know a lot more about each team after this game. I'm really looking forward to this one. BTW, welcome to the ZOO gloryglorytoga.

I will agree that nine wins is not realistic, but I strongly disagree that Mizzou cannot win games. Last season Gary Pinkel lost control of this team before the season began, probably the result of being diagnosed with lymphoma. I like the promotion of Odom and the hiring of Heupel. They can turn this around. The SEC always wants to sell Mizzou short. That's OK as it makes the season all the more fun for us. I was feeling kind of down about Mizzou's chances this year. Thank you for getting me fired up. Go Mizzou!

I agree that the WV game sets the tone for the season. I've never had such a tough time getting a read on the Tigers before the opening game as I have had this year. Barry Odom did a great job with the defense last year. They played like champions every week. When you consider that the offense couldn't buy a first down and they were out there all day long, then their effort is even more remarkable. I like to think that Odom can get seven wins out of this team, but that is more the life long fan in me than any empirical evidence. If they can take WV, then I think seven and five is likely. If they lose to the Mountaineers, then five wins is probably right.