Mizzou chat with Dave Matter
Bring your Tigers football and basketball questions, and talk to Mizzou beat writer Dave Matter in a live chat starting at 11 a.m. Thursday.
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Lock will play in the bowl game. As much as he's talked about how much this program means to him and his family, he won't pass on that chance. He's made it a point to say his dad never got to play in a bowl during his Mizzou career, and I know winning a bowl game will mean a lot for him personally because of that relationship.Same for Terry. He came back for his senior year because he cares deeply about this program and this school. He doesn't strike me as someone who will want to miss on that experience. -
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This week's game is on CBS by default. There's only three SEC vs SEC games on the schedule this week. The other eight teams are playing nonconference games - and none of them worthy of the national CBS spot.And the Arkansas game is always on CBS. That's why it's moved to Friday for the afternoon spot.
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i had a whole long list of questions, comments and other observations for you after the 3d-and-2 debacle vs. Kentucky, but now I can't seem to think of them. Is that fair to say about the program in general after the last two wins? What would losses to either or both TENN and ARK mean?
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I could see Missouri losing Saturday. Absolutely. (Check the site tomorrow for my official pick.) Tennessee might be the most improved team in the SEC. They have legit wins over Auburn and Kentucky. They've found an identity on both sides of the ball. Missouri can't play its C game like last week and expect to win. A loss would take some steam out of MU's momentum and add some unwanted tension for that finale against Arkansas. The Hogs are bad, folks. Really bad. But that game isn't a gimme, especially if MU gets caught up in the senior day ceremony and is moping around after a loss the week before. And let's not pretend there will be much buzz in the crowd on Black Friday. Win or lose Saturday and the Tigers need to finish strong. Remember 2016? Mizzou was 3-8, nothing tangible to play for. Arkansas came in already bowl eligible. Probably expected to roll over MU. But under a first-year coach, Mizzou was still bought in and played with a lot of fight - and made a great second-half comeback. Anything is possible.
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I think you mean women, not girls.Top three team in the SEC? I'm not sure about that. Top six is fair to expect. It's a really good league. And the recruits are unproven. You just don't replace Cunningham with some touted recruits and expect the same results immediately. Pingeton is a really good coach and deserves a lot of credit, but I'm not sure they're on South Carolina or Mississippi State's level yet.
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Whoa, Derrick Rose, really? I mean, yes, he's fast. But let's pump those brakes. Pinson needs to slow it down some on the offensive end. Not every pass has to be a no-look pass. Maybe he'll figure it out, but if he wants to play significant minutes he's got to play under control, on both ends.
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Dave - With so many schools wanting Kelly Bryant as their quarterback next year, do you think Mizzou really has a chance. I understand Arkansas has the upper hand because of his relationship with Chad Morris back at Clemson? Any other transfer on Mizzour's radar? Thank You
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No other transfers have surfaced, but that's not unusual this time of year. Names will come up eventually. Bryant isn't going to tip his hand. Rivals.com reported he'll decide between Arkansas, North Carolina, Missouri, Miami, Mississippi State and Auburn. Until he eliminates Missouri, the Tigers have a shot. I really don't know how to handicap the race without talking to him and he's not doing many interviews. We'll all know soon enough.
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I've always been fascinated with how college football powers became powers. We've all talked in the past about how Mizzou has a ceiling of being a typical 8-win team with the ability every once in a while to have a conference championship. But if you reflect back to 1941, Mizzou was a top 5 team at a time when neither Nebraska, Oklahoma nor Alabama were the powers that they are now. Fast forward several years and Mizzou never became the powers that those other schools did. I wonder if this is because Faurot, wonderful a man as he was, made the decision that Mizzou was a Missouri school for Missouri kids and made the decision not to recruit much beyond the state, a decision which irrevocably prevented Mizzou from becoming a national power. Is this a fair assessment, and if you had to pinpoit a reason why Mizzou ultimately lagged behind other programs in national power status, what is it? Faurot + lack of commitment from the school on that score?
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Good question. I don't have a great answer. Demographics plays a role. Schools that can rely on local fertile recruiting pipelines are the ones that have thrived over time. And over time, success breeds success. You develop a winning culture and traditions and you build your fan base, which means better resources to keep building. I'm not sure if there was ever a landmark decision or practice by Don Faurot that put a ceiling on Mizzou's program over time, but it would make an interesting case study.
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Dave, I know Mizzou Athletics is is in the red financially. So why do we go to the Virgin Islands to play basketball? Is the payout from the tournament bigger than what the team pays to get down there and hotels, food, etc.? Also why does each player receive iPads and other gifts for going to bowl games? If Mizzou stopped doing that would it hurt recruiting? I'm not sure how much that stuff costs in the grand scheme of things. Just curious of what the school can cut down on for better financing.
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The bowls pay for a good chunk of those gifts.As for the Virgin Islands trip, the schools don't pay for every expense. The tournaments take in revenue and split some costs with the teams, is the way I understand it. A program like Kenesaw State would blow its entire budget on a trip like this if it had to cover all the costs.
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Do you think the fact that Tennessee will become bowl eligible if they beat us and we are already bowl eligible will have any impact on Saturday's game? I say no because we still have a lot to play for and I believe our team always plays to win. I have seen a conspiracy theory thinking the refs will favor Tennessee because the SEC will want another team bowl eligible. I have a hard time believing the SEC powers-that-be control decisions made by the refs during games and I don't want to believe it. What do you think?
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That's insane if people actually believe that about the officials. Then again, fan is short for fanatic.Mizzou isn't satisfied with making a bowl game. Most players on Saturday didn't even mention it after the Vandy win unless it was brought up. Motivation won't be an advantage for one team over the other.
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Sorry @Mark Cunningham, but I am a BO critic and was a huge fan of Odom. The SEC isn't training wheels for coaching. I want Odom to do well at Mizzou. But I am not going to turn a blind eye and support unconditionally with my money and time. Odom is improving but his record is still 17-18 and 8-14 in conference play. The record speaks for itself.
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Dave, also speaking of costs why is it that Mizzou changes uniforms so often? Wouldn't it help costs if they just stuck to one uniform? Do recruits really care that much about what jersey a team wears? Some schools will get recruits no matter what but how often do teams in the SEC changes uniforms as often as Mizzou does? That stuff can't be cheap.
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Dave -- Mizzou doesn't bring in the money some other athletic departments in the SEC do. That's a given. But, thanks to the SEC Network, it does bring in plenty of dollars and that is going to continue to grow for the near future. It has more than enough money compared to a lot of Power Five schools to field and there's no excuse not to field a competitive sports program. I agree with you that money is a concern, as it should be in any circumstance. But if Mizzou really is running a deficit, I can guarantee you there is some dead weight they can cut in that athletic department. There is no reason for any school in the Big Ten or the SEC to be struggling financially and I just don't buy Mizzou is hurting. If it is, it needs to look in the mirror. The SEC Network alone should guarantee a profit.
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I've reported the numbers every year and if you read the coverage it's clear to see that the revenues don't keep up with the costs - and it's largely because of ticket sales. Donations were actually up last year - and MU still worked in the red because of ticket sales.
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attendance (or the lack thereof) seems to be a concern of you and other chatters...attendance at the Vandy game was announced as 48K, what do you consider good attendance at the rivalry game the Friday of Thanksgiving? What historically has been the attendance in COMO and Fayettville...and why would Fayettville with a much larger MSA than COMO move this game to LR...and why would not Mizzou move this game to Kansas City/St. Louis....many alumni in both cities....many students home for the holiday....many high school students to get cheap tickets on stub hub.....seems like a logical choice to hold these games alternately in StL and KCMO!
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I'm not going to budge on that one. Missouri needs to play its conference games in Columbia.The Arkansas game is tricky because school isn't in session and some students won't come back for a game they can watch on TV or ignore altogether.I'd consider 55,000 a decent crowd given the circumstances. I doubt they'll hit 50,000.
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Just stepped into the chat. I saw an early comment about the SEC and fan support. Winning is the most important thing. To the fans, SEC or other conference probably is not important as long as you win in your conference. So my perspective is that MU will languish in attendance in the SEC unless winning becomes the usual and periodic conference division leadership is the norm.
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That's the inherent problem with Missouri. At Mizzou, a lot of fans need to see that the team is winning before they invest in being part of the atmosphere. "Win 10 games and then you'll get my money next year." At other places that have better fan support, the fans are part of the atmosphere to help produce the wins and support the bottom line financially. I'm not saying one way is right or wrong, but that's the reality of the SEC.