Tigers must make quick turnaround for Big 12 title game

The Tigers will play for the Big 12 crown next week in Kansas City.

By Lenny Goldman

Published Nov. 29, 2008

KANSAS CITY – In a snowy battle between bitter rivals, the game just had to come down to the final play. Missouri and Kansas clawed back and forth throughout the fourth quarter until the final tick fell off the clock.

The Tigers held onto a 37-33 lead with 33 seconds left as Kansas faced fourth and seven from Missouri’s 26-yard line. Kansas’ junior quarterback Todd Reesing scrambled away from a heavy blitz and threw his fourth touchdown of the game to give KU a 40-37 advantage.

Senior quarterback Chase Daniel drove the Tigers back with less than 20 seconds to go and presented senior kicker Jeff Wolfert with a 54-yard field goal attempt to tie the game. The kick was blocked and KU stormed the field with its 40-37 victory.

Despite the hoopla, the final score will have no major impact on Missouri’s ultimate destination. And still, the route to that final game remains unclear. The Tigers have reserved a seat in the Big 12 Championship by winning the North, yet the Big 12 South is knotted up in a three-way tie for first place between Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech, depending on how OU and Tech finish today.

“That’s the message,” coach Gary Pinkel said. “But they really don’t want to hear that right now. They’re competitors.”

Later tonight the Tigers will watch as Oklahoma State attempts to untie the knot by knocking off its in-state rival, Oklahoma.

Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech all only have one conference loss, but Texas has the highest BCS ranking at No. 2.

Here’s where it really gets messy.

Earlier this season Texas beat Oklahoma, but then went on to lose to Tech. Last week, Oklahoma put an exclamation point on its first-place argument by routing Tech 65-21.

If Oklahoma State upsets the Sooners tonight, the outcome is simple – Texas Tech will win the Big 12 South. The Red Raiders and Texas would have only one conference loss, but the Tech won the head-to-head matchup.

If both the Sooners and Red Raiders win … yikes. It’s going to come down to the BCS rankings to determine who will claim the right to play Missouri.

For Missouri, it doesn’t really matter whom the rankings pair it with.

“It don’t really matter to me,” sophomore tailback Derrick Washington said. “It’s just football.”

What does matter is Missouri’s ability to forget Saturday’s devastating loss and prepare for a Big 12 South winner that will certainly be the heavy favorite.

“We’re in the championship game, not Kansas, not Kansas State, not Baylor, not anyone else,” Daniel said. “It’s about getting over it as soon as you can because if you don’t, you’re going to get embarrassed by a good team from the South.”