Ma, Zoo, Rah?

For those of you that are not familiar with Big 12 football and more specifically, Missouri Tiger football, then let me throw some knowledge your way: It is absolutely and totally bind blowing that they are the number one team in the nation. The last time that happened JFK had just won the election over Richard Nixon. The last time they even shared a conference championship was in 1969. Nixon had risen to the presidency by then but at the time the Watergate Hotel was just barely two years old and the only break-ins that had occurred were into the guest room mini-bars. (Incidentally, I don’t know why I have related everything back to Nixon so just run with it.) Since that last championship the Tigers have only had 11 winning seasons and none of more than 8 wins. Needless to say this is kind of big news for the State of Missouri. Sure we aren’t as big of a football base as places like Texas or Michigan but damn it if we aren’t better then everyone right now.

Am I a bandwagon jumper? Probably, but I justify my new found Missouri love by saying that I have two alumni in my family (Grandpa and Sister) and that my allegiance to the University of Michigan is not in jeopardy because they are far, far, far out of the picture. The only hiccup really is that my wife went to grad school at Illinois and Mizzou and Illinois don’t really like each other much. Ok they don’t like each other at all. But this is no problem because I am an adamant Michigan fan and the fine folks in Champaign-Urbana hate (I am using the word “hate” here) us so if I support Mizzou I am not really any worse off with them then before.

Missouri still has to beat Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game. They lost to the Sooners earlier in the year and are underdogs again this week so the Tigers’ trip to the number one spot may be short lived but if it isn’t hold on to your hats folks because Missourians have beaten the odds before.