I hope Matt doesn't mind me sharing some of my opinions as a Mizzou fan.
What did most Mizzou fans prefer, joining the SEC or the Big Ten?
You have to remember that it wasn't an either/or situation, which I"m sure you know...
I'm from St. Louis, and I can tell you that in 2010, many if not most Mizzou fans were eager for the move to the B1G. Yes, we'd lose the kU rivalry (k is never capitalized in kansas, mind you...F them). However, it would get us away from Texas' control of the Big 12. Make no mistake, UT runs that conference. The conference didn't share revenue equally, and Mizzou often was getting pennies when Texas and OU were making fortunes. Bottom Line: It was an ABUSIVE relationship, and Mizzou needed to move on. The B1G seemed like a natural transition. I mean, we'd even have a natural rival in Illinois...
I have to tell you, when it was announced that NU was getting the B1G bid over Mizzou, people were devastated... Some fans were calling for the University President's head. It was bad. We felt trapped... In fact, people feared that if Texas, OU, OSU, and Texas Tech/A&M would leave for the PAC, we'd get stuck in the Mountain West... No joke. Those were conversations on PowerMizzou, the true Mizzou message board for fans in the know (unfortunately, it's a subscribed service.)
When the SEC offer came along a year later, we were ALL in shock. We didn't see it. Needless to say, the entire state was thrilled... except I think there was SOME reservation in the KC area. The kU rivalry and the kSU rivalry is in their backyard, but I would say they've gotten over it... I mean, the road games, tailgating, and atmosphere of SEC football truly is extraordinary. It's been much more fun going to the Grove at Ole Miss versus another game in freezing Ames, Iowa.
Consequently, season tickets are at all time highs, and donations are through the roof. Mizzou has been able to pour millions into facilities and upgrading our stadium. Within the next 5+ years, we'll seat in the 80K range... we're around 72K now. It's been very good and very profitable for the university.
How has your rivalry with KU changed since you switched conferences? Is there still a strong mutual hatred in both sports between the schools?
As an aside, I was working for the KU Sports Information department in the late 1990s and I was there during Norm Stewart's last season when he knocked off KU in his last appearance at AFH. One of my post-game duties was to immediately deliver stat sheets to the opposing teams locker room so I was the only non-member of the Missouri program in the locker room to witness the celebration and Stewart's raw emotion. It was incredible.
Go Gophers!!
Well, I'm sorry to hear you worked for those dirty birds to the west.
I actually worked for Mizzou's SID from 01-04. Fun experience. But I'm glad not to work in sports these days...
To answer your question: The hate still exists (at least on our end), but unfortunately, the rivalry is dead... for now. kU refuses to play us in anything. We reach out to them every year -- to play even basketball, where we've really tumbled. But they won't do it. They have a major case of butt hurt over us leaving a dying conference, while they have no real options.
I'm sure, however, in the next decade the rivalry will be rekindled. I mean, it has too. It's one of the oldest rivalries in the country... and as you saw from Coach Stewart, people are VERY passionate about it.
What's the key to beating you?
I'll try and make this short: The key is to keep our defense on the field the whole game. Our defense is exceptional against the run and the pass -- the only true blip being that Indiana game, but we were without two of our best players (Golden for the whole game; Ray for much of it). HOWEVER, our offense is wildly inconsistent and average at best... Our receivers are among the country leaders in dropped balls. And while Mauk throws an excellent deep ball, he's inconsistent on short and intermediate passes.
Soooo... Force our offense into a bunch of three and outs. Win the time of possession. And eventually you'll wear down our defense and be able to put up points. Your defense playing well is the key.
How are your ticket sales going for this Bowl game? How many fans do you expect to have in Orlando?
I'm not really sure. I wish I could share info, but I don't have it.
General thoughts on keys to the game? Seems like it will be strength vs. strength when we have the ball: you guys are quite good at stopping the run, and if we had our way, we wouldn't even attempt a pass. Tevin Coleman was the only back all year to burn the Mizzou D, though we run a different style than what you're used to seeing in the SEC. How about when the Tigers are on offense - what to expect there? I know Mauk was up-and-down, probably in large part to losing such a talented receiving corps from last year, but Hansbrough-Murphy seems to be a pretty dangerous 1-2 punch.
The Tigers went through an identity crisis on offense after the Indiana and Georgia loses. The coaches realized we need to run the ball more. And that's really what Mizzou has done. We've run the ball very well for the most part... Marcus Murphy is our starting back. He also is one of the best returners in the country (both in punts and kick offs). He's very much a speed back that prefers running on the edges. Hansborough, while not a big guy, runs big and angry. The kid rarely loses yards on carries. He's much more of our between the tackles runner. Both kids are very talented. Murphy may have a chance in the NFL because of his return skills...
The passing game is... well... we never know... We have three highly recruited receivers in Bud Sasser (who's the best), Jimmy Hunt, and Darius White. All three of these kids were Four or Five-Star talents, according to Rivals and Scouts. However, all of them have been back-ups until now... their senior year. And we know why: They struggle to catch the ball. Mizzou is one of the leaders in the country in dropped passes. It's very frustrating.
Mauk, our QB, has had an up and down year, but he is only a sophomore. He really struggle in the middle of the year, but is playing better now. He struggles with the short and intermediate passes -- often throwing them too hard. HOwever, his talent is throwing the bomb. Almost every game he's had at least one, if not two or three, LONG receptions. He really excels at throwing deep balls... it's by far his biggest talent. And it's something that must be defended...
It should be noted that Mauk, for whatever reason, loves to scramble and often does so to his detriment... running into pressure, peeling back as much as 20 yards from the line of scrimmage. It kills drives when he gets sacked... because they're HUGE loses. The key to stopping the Mizzou pass game is -- no shocker -- apply pressure.
