I live in the heart of the SEC. Football is king here. You wear your school colors all the time. You have an intense burning passion for your school. You have pride. You know who you are and what you represent. You LOVE to compete. Fall is the very best time of the year. Tailgates, road trips, trips back to your alma mater that give you goosebumps from the memories you enjoyed there.
It is what makes the SEC special. Like the commercial says "It just means...MORE."
But you know what?
This is big time. It's BIG business. The SEC is about jam packed stadiums. It's about excitement. It's about true competition. It's "Grown man football."
We have seen evidence of Mizzou having the SEC chops. Our very first GA game was very intense and the 13-14 teams were special in many ways. Being here in the heart of the SEC East, that was an amazing time.
I believe our fans and our program as a whole need to realize how much more commitment is needed. Our resources are not SEC level. Our fan support isn't either. And before you say that the product on the field hasn't been great (I agree)--consider the tens of thousands of empty seats for our home opener against South Carolina. South Carolina vs. Kentucky was their home opener. You couldn't buy a seat. Upper deck seats were going for $150 per ticket for a $45 seat. My boys and I ended up not getting tickets, even after the kickoff. There were thousands of people looking for seats and very precious few available.
So, I think it's fair to say that we have some growth as fans that is needed. Right now, we are not SEC level. I define the SEC as the very best of the best. Living here, I can tell you that the SEC is the finest conference of any sport. I would never even think of wearing a Big8 belt, or a Big XII belt or a NL Central belt. I wear my SEC belt all the time and with pride in that conference. It is the very best. If you doubt me on this, take some road trips. See what the experience is all about. As the commercial says "Take it all in!" I've been to Oxford, Knoxville, Nashville, Athens (several times), Columbia (every time), Gainesville (3 times), and College Station. Each environment is different but the intensity of the environment is unparalleled.
But you know what, I am gonna say something unpopular here. I'm not sure our commitment to excellence at Mizzou is very clear.
I think Coach Barry Odom is a great guy. He's obviously a competitor and I think it is safe to say there is not a person in the country who wants Mizzou to win more than he does. His press conference yesterday gives some evidence to that statement. He is now dropping the attempt to carefully choose every word and is just gonna be himself. I applaud that.
But at this point, what we have is just beyond explanation. There is no way that Purdue is 32 points better than Mizzou. No way that a team who struggled mightily with Mercer should be able to completely obliterate Mizzou in the fashion that they did. But you know what, after the South Carolina meltdown, I deep down KNEW we would lose to Purdue. I didn't think it would be that type of game, but I knew we would lose.
Auburn. Well, the game actually went pretty much how I thought it would. I felt deep down that we were not going to be competitive, and sadly i was right.
So, after last night, we are at a crossroads. Odom intends to fight. I hope he does, and in a way he has never fought. I hope we go to @Kentucky and punch them in the mouth again and again and again. And then turn our season and program completely around and begin to dominate. There is a joy inside of me that I can't even describe when Mizzou football wins.
But there is one immutable law in the SEC. In the SEC, this is the equation. Humiliating and not even competitive blowout losses + Half empty stadiums at kickoff (at best) = New coaching search. It's not even negotiable. Football pays the rent for the entire athletic department. And when there is NO HOPE, you must have the courage to change.
Competition matters. Fighting matters. Passion matters. In the SEC, "it just means more."
Are we SEC? If the blowout losses and the ghost town stadium trends continue and Head Coach Barry Odom is brought back for another year, the clear and incontrovertable answer to that question is "No."
It is what makes the SEC special. Like the commercial says "It just means...MORE."
But you know what?
This is big time. It's BIG business. The SEC is about jam packed stadiums. It's about excitement. It's about true competition. It's "Grown man football."
We have seen evidence of Mizzou having the SEC chops. Our very first GA game was very intense and the 13-14 teams were special in many ways. Being here in the heart of the SEC East, that was an amazing time.
I believe our fans and our program as a whole need to realize how much more commitment is needed. Our resources are not SEC level. Our fan support isn't either. And before you say that the product on the field hasn't been great (I agree)--consider the tens of thousands of empty seats for our home opener against South Carolina. South Carolina vs. Kentucky was their home opener. You couldn't buy a seat. Upper deck seats were going for $150 per ticket for a $45 seat. My boys and I ended up not getting tickets, even after the kickoff. There were thousands of people looking for seats and very precious few available.
So, I think it's fair to say that we have some growth as fans that is needed. Right now, we are not SEC level. I define the SEC as the very best of the best. Living here, I can tell you that the SEC is the finest conference of any sport. I would never even think of wearing a Big8 belt, or a Big XII belt or a NL Central belt. I wear my SEC belt all the time and with pride in that conference. It is the very best. If you doubt me on this, take some road trips. See what the experience is all about. As the commercial says "Take it all in!" I've been to Oxford, Knoxville, Nashville, Athens (several times), Columbia (every time), Gainesville (3 times), and College Station. Each environment is different but the intensity of the environment is unparalleled.
But you know what, I am gonna say something unpopular here. I'm not sure our commitment to excellence at Mizzou is very clear.
I think Coach Barry Odom is a great guy. He's obviously a competitor and I think it is safe to say there is not a person in the country who wants Mizzou to win more than he does. His press conference yesterday gives some evidence to that statement. He is now dropping the attempt to carefully choose every word and is just gonna be himself. I applaud that.
But at this point, what we have is just beyond explanation. There is no way that Purdue is 32 points better than Mizzou. No way that a team who struggled mightily with Mercer should be able to completely obliterate Mizzou in the fashion that they did. But you know what, after the South Carolina meltdown, I deep down KNEW we would lose to Purdue. I didn't think it would be that type of game, but I knew we would lose.
Auburn. Well, the game actually went pretty much how I thought it would. I felt deep down that we were not going to be competitive, and sadly i was right.
So, after last night, we are at a crossroads. Odom intends to fight. I hope he does, and in a way he has never fought. I hope we go to @Kentucky and punch them in the mouth again and again and again. And then turn our season and program completely around and begin to dominate. There is a joy inside of me that I can't even describe when Mizzou football wins.
But there is one immutable law in the SEC. In the SEC, this is the equation. Humiliating and not even competitive blowout losses + Half empty stadiums at kickoff (at best) = New coaching search. It's not even negotiable. Football pays the rent for the entire athletic department. And when there is NO HOPE, you must have the courage to change.
Competition matters. Fighting matters. Passion matters. In the SEC, "it just means more."
Are we SEC? If the blowout losses and the ghost town stadium trends continue and Head Coach Barry Odom is brought back for another year, the clear and incontrovertable answer to that question is "No."
