Underestimated Missouri Tigers Hoping for One More Win

The Missouri Tigers have grown accustomed to the lack of attention that they have received all season. Despite an 11-1 record and a Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title, Mizzou remains as an “also-ran” in the minds of many on the national scene.

So why would this week, the week of the SEC Championship Game, be any different? All of the talk nationally is about the Auburn Tigers, after their miracle win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl. Auburn has become the media darling, and all of the national pundits are discussing Auburn’s chances of jumping the Ohio State Buckeyes and playing in the BCS National Championship Game.

One small problem – Auburn hasn’t earned that right yet. They still must face Missouri on Saturday before they can worry about where they might end up in the BCS. If Auburn overlooks Missouri, as many have already this season, they could very well find themselves on the losing end on Saturday.

Missouri’s chances of jumping Ohio State are minimal. It seems like there is too much ground to make up for Gary Pinkel and his team. Even if they were to dominate Auburn, Missouri would probably not have enough votes in the human polls to overtake an unbeaten Ohio State team.

Pinkel will use all of the Auburn talk as motivation to his team during this week of preparation. The Mizzou players hear all of the talk as well, and they will also be motivated by the attention that Auburn is receiving.

Missouri hopes that at least one more opponent, in this case it’s Auburn, will overlook them, and that they can continue their solid play to win the SEC Championship in just their second year in the conference.

Tim Letcher is a contributing writer for www.RantSports.com and a member of the Football Writers Association of America. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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