What Mizzou And A&M Are Learning Out About The SEC

 To paraphrase Dennis Green, The SEC are who we thought they were. No one in my circle of friends thought this would be ease.  We all knew this was," big boy football" and we were at a disadvantage in talent depth to compete on a weekly bases. Mizzou has played in big games before but not week in and week out.  Although as fans we did not have a say in joining the SEC most of us looked forward to it and are glad to be a part of the conference.  As I told you last Summer we were not going to set the conference on fire.  We would have to take our lumps but hopefully in time we can get up to speed. 

I've been impressed with A&M's play so far.  Not so much their record as the fact that they are doing it with a first year coach.  It always takes time to install new systems and get used to a new way of doing business so they deserve kudos for that.

Right now, I see Kentucky as being Mizzou's only legitimate chance of a conference win this year.  I think the UT game will be competitive, but I give Tennessee the edge there.

No, the defenses are not better than I expected. They are good, but not God-like. (I don't include last year's 'Bama D in that statement.)

No, the SEC is *NOT* better top-to-bottom than the Big 12. It has far, far better top teams (which translates into success in the BCS), but their bottom dwellers are inferior to the Big 12's. The Big 12 has one pathetic team in Kansas. Even Iowa St has been decent in recent years. This year Kentucky, Auburn, and Arkansas are all genuinely bad teams. Ol' Miss is still not a good team, and Tennessee has been a joke for more than a few years.

Don't misinterpret this as saying it isn't a step up from the Big 12. Playing those ultra-top tier teams each year forces the weaker teams to get better. Vandy & Ol' Miss would be worse teams if they played in any other conference. Mississippi St would be more like Southern Miss without the SEC. Moving to the SEC dramatically helped Ark & SC, and I believe that both Mizzou and A&M will benefit, too.

i have not talked to a single Ag who thinks (or thought) the SEC defenses would not be tough (sure there are some out there). After shooting the bull with Ags during the A&M / UF game, they thought they had a chance to win, they all thought the schedule would be a grind and they all thought a break even season in the SEC would be a winner for their program. Finish 4-4 in the SEC and don't get blown out by LSU or Alabama seemed to be the expectation. Mizzou guys I've talked to are genuinely surprised they have had this much trouble, but they understood before the first kick off they had some real depth issues on the lines.

I am stunned that the Gators have done as well as they have. I thought a third place finish in the East was the best we could hope for, but going to take this as a very good year. I am surprised at the Georgia - USC score, surprised that in the West Arkansas fell apart, surprise Auburn is almost a basket case and yes surprised MSU is kicking butt as decisively as they have. So, I would not hang too much on the Mizzou guys for being surprised about their team's performance. Man, there are a bunch of us who have been in the SEC for a while who are surprised. 

Not a criticism of the tone of the post, just say I'm among the surprised this year. Right now, I'd be surprised if in two years A&M wasn't tearing into a lot of teams with true "SEC" like defenses because of their recruiting in the last year. Mizzou is going to take longer than I first thought...... unless they are one of the surprises in the next couple of years. 

Mizzou has had the same troubles all year.  injuries (starting QB and FIVE OL starters (and 2 OL backups) and a sluggish offense.  As mentioned by a previous poster, many of these injuries happened before the season (including QB Franklin's shoulder). Mizzou's issues have been evident versus both the SEC AND the non-conference teams (while MU won vs, ASU and at central Florida -- remarkably two of the SEC's three best non-conference wins -- and lost vs. Vandy and Georgia, frankly, the issues were similar in all games).  Even in the SE la blowout, the offensive was sputtering compared to previous years. Mizzou would be in the same situation vs. Big XII this, perhaps worse since the offense is so hampered with injuries and a WORTHLESS offensive coordinator.

Mizzou has had the same troubles all year.  injuries (starting QB and FIVE OL starters (and 2 OL backups) and a sluggish offense.  As mentioned by a previous poster, many of these injuries happened before the season (including QB Franklin's shoulder) It's been evident versus both the SEC AND the non-conference teams (while MU won vs, ASU and at central Florida (remarkably two of the SEC's three best non-conference wins) and lost vs. Vandy and Georgia, frankly, the issues were similar in all games).  Mizzou would be in the same situation vs. Big XII this, perhaps worse since the offense is so hampered with injuries and a worthless offensive coordinator.

Mizzou had trouble controlling the line of srimmage vs Vandy. Vandy was a much deeper team and it showed late. Vandy owned the 2nd half outside of one breakdown which went for most of MU yardage in the 2nd half. Mizzou fans: What is the shaking of the keys meaning??

Mizzou fan here. I will say that the SEC defenses have seemed even better than advertised. However, the biggest surprise to all of us Mizzou fans who figured that the Tigers would compete better than they have has been the offense. Mizzou's offense has been hesitant and has executed poorly (dropped passes, dropped pitches, slips, fumbles, etc), and this is not 100% due to the aggressive defenses they have faced. They haven't played well and the play calling has been questionable. With reference to the injuries: unfortunately, most of these occurred before the season even started, so it is hard to attribute that to the SEC. The way Mizzou has played, they would be struggling in the Big 12 just the same. The SEC gets all of the attention, and perhaps deservedly so, but it is interesting that there are only 2 Big 12 schools that didn't get votes in the latest poll (OSU and KU).

John, Mizzou  has seen the two best teams in the SEC East with BAMA on the way.  A&M has played Florida which some believe is the 3rd best team in the East, Arkansas, & Ol Miss.  Two different experiences.  A&M put 58 on Arky, & 30 on Ol Miss, so the defenses have not been an issue for them. 

As a Mizzou fan what I have observed as the difference between the Big12 & the SEC is that the SEC is a much more physical  & athletic conference on the line.  Your big guys need to have the ability to pass and run block.  Mizzou can't use injuries as an excuse for the 0-3 start.  The truth is that the team has not executed well on the basic fundamentals this year.  Hopefully they will be corrected, or we will continue to get pounded.  

This Mizzou fan agrees.  While I expected the defenses to be better, they are even better than advertised.  And the attrition factor is making the importance of quality depth very apparent given all the injuries Mizzou has experienced on the offensive line.  If I'm attempting to pull a silver lining from the season so far, it's that Mizzou's defense is playing a lot better than most fans expected.  Though its given up some points, the defense has often been hit with horrible field position (due to turnovers in Georgia game & ridiculously bad special teams play in USC game) and being on the field A LOT due to how poorly the offense has performed.  Which winds back to the depth issue.  Hopefully the Mizzou coaches are hitting the recruiting trail hard for the trenches guys ... which will likely include trying to fill Sheldon Richardson's shoes since it's starting to look like he may not be coming back next year.

As far as attrition goes, just remember that it was now deservedly-ranked #4 Florida that was rolling on the ground with "cramps" against A&M on a mild (for early September) and not-very-humid day in College Station, not the other way around.  We'll know A&M's true attrition level after playing 12 games in less than 12 weeks (final game is on Thanksgiving).  The article is very true makes plenty of sense, but it lacks giving credit where it's due.

Most A&M fans were thinking that just making a bowl game with the schedule we had, new coaches/systems, redshirt QB, etc. would be the most realistic goal for this year, but so far the team has vastly exceeded expectations.  The 7-5 we were hoping for for our inaugural campaign may still be what we end up with, but the games at Auburn, against Mizzou and even LSU at home look a lot more "winnable" than they did at the beginning of the season with MSU looking less winnable at this point.

Even without drinking the maroon koolaide, I think it's safe to say we're ahead of where we thought we would be this year.  Last year's team wouldn't have overcome 6 turnovers to win that game in comeback fashion.  We've lived and died with Johnny Football, and with him we've got a puncher's chance against anyone this year. Who knows, we may slip and fall against La Tech... or we might beat LSU.  We're happy with the direction of this program - up.