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Some fans may be thinking that the Tigers shouldn’t have left the Big 12 for the SEC. Being exposed harshly to ‘old man’ football and becoming injury prone is the last thing this team wanted, but now is the time to be patient. As the old saying goes, ‘to be the best you have to beat the best.’ 

It has become perfectly clear the Tigers are no longer in the Big 12. To no surprise, the SEC is the best conference in the country once again, with four teams in the Top 10 BCS rankings and seven in the Top 25. If the season ended today, it is likely that Alabama and Florida would be playing for a national title. This Missouri team has been beaten left and right by SEC teams, and even man-handled at times. Missouri fans knew this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park and the threat of not being bowl eligible for the first time in eight years comes to mind.

So why should Missouri fans be patient when things haven’t gone their way? 

For starters, it was this time last year that Missouri was sitting at 3-4 before turning it on and finishing 8-5. Things certainly won’t be as easy as they were last year, but with a week off this team has time to regroup and get ready for a weak Kentucky team for Homecoming. The Tigers will have to play extremely well to beat Tennessee or Florida, but wins against Syracuse and Texas A&M are not out of the question. It is still very possible for the Tigers to go bowling.

Now that the Tigers are in the SEC, the program has an opportunity to grow and reach new levels nationally that it has never seen before. If the Tigers didn’t move to the most prestigious conference in the land, it is likely that last year’s top wide receiver, Dorial Green-Beckham, could have chosen another school. Missouri will now be able to recruit players in regions that were once untouchable, and recruit players that are more talented as the Missouri brand grows nationally. 

The SEC also allows Missouri to get a fair share of revenue that the Big 12 previously denied it. Missouri no longer has to deal with Oklahoma and Texas getting a larger portion of the revenue, as the money is distributed evenly to each SEC school. Everyone knows that more revenue certainly plays its part in helping a program grow and improve. Faurot Field now has expansion plans in its future that wouldn’t have been likely in the Big 12. 

It’s been a rough start, but now is the time that this program needs the support of its fans the most. Good things happen to those who wait, and this will be the case with this football team. South Carolina and Arkansas both had rough introductions to the SEC in 1992 and have come along way since then. Missouri will be fine, and the decision to move to the SEC will prove to be a great one. Just have patience. 

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