Alabama fans shouldn’t have shoelaces, belts or sharp objects . South Carolina fans get to watch a team from the SEC East that lost to USC play in Atlanta, again. Georgia fans are this . LSU fans are not sober . Texas A&M fans feel the spotlight slipping away. Sadness and confusion abound. This was not supposed to happen.
Twelve months ago Missouri and Auburn were finished playing football. Auburn’s then coach, Gene Chizik, was on his way to the chopping block and Gary Pinkel wasn't listening to Christmas music because Christmas music makes Gary Pinkel happy and Gary Pinkel did not want to be happy. The Tigers of Missouri had just entered the SEC ass-first with a 2 – 6 record in its new conference and a 5 – 7 record overall. Auburn, separated by only one season from a National Championship, was wallowing in the completion of a winless campaign in conference and three miserable wins against three miserable non-conference teams.
So it was not a surprise at SEC Media Days when Missouri and Auburn received a combined zero votes to win the SEC Championship . Missouri was predicted to finish above Kentucky in the East, and nobody else. Auburn was forecast to conclude their season fifth in the West.
I would attempt to chronicle how we find ourselves on the precipice of this particular SEC Championship game, but who would believe me? If something like this was integral to our current reality as college football fans, then words are useless and we should just be thankful that in 2013 we can re-watch things that we would otherwise chalk up to nightmares or fan dreams (fan dream being very similar to the wet dream).
On The Line
So, let’s not try to make sense of the past but instead focus upon the future. These two programs are playing with house money, so an SEC Championship victory and automatic BCS birth would certainly satisfy either fan base, but even more is possible. A Missouri win combined with either an Ohio State loss to Michigan State or a Florida State loss to Duke would almost definitely result in Missouri playing for the BCS National Championship. The path for Auburn is likely the same, with the slight possibility that a weak OSU victory and a big win for Auburn could result in Auburn jumping OSU in the BCS Standings for the number two spot. If the SEC Champion is playing in Pasadena for “it all,” it is also probable that Alabama would be invited to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. And because really crazy things happen in college football it should also be noted that losses by both FSU and OSU could mean an all-SEC National Championship game between Alabama and whoever wins in Atlanta on Saturday.
The Match-up
Auburn running back Tre Mason and Quarterback Nick Marshall have combined for 2,239 rushing yards and 28 TD’s, but last Saturday Missouri's defensive ends, Michael Sam and Kony Ealy, showed Johnny Manziel and the Aggies that a mobile quarterback and misdirection are no concern of theirs. Missouri receivers Dorial Green-Beckham and L'Damian Washington are 6’6” and 6’4” respectively while Auburn cornerbacks Chris Davis and Jonathon Mincy are 5’11” and 5’10. Auburn has played in and won five games decided by one score while Missouri has played in only two such games, walking away with a loss to USC in one of them. Auburn has rushed for 976 more yards this season than Missouri, but Missouri has passed for 958 more yards than Auburn. Missouri has posted 37 total sacks so far, a mark good enough for fourth in the country, and 18 interceptions, which is only five behind Florida State’s nation-leading 23. Auburn’s 40.2 net yards per punt is only .03 from the best in the country, and kicker Codey Parkey leads the nation in touchbacks.
Who Wins?
We win. The stats and this season’s track record suggest that all 3,600 seconds of Saturday’s showdown between the East and West will be needed to determine a winner. Fans of either team or neither team recognize that something awesome is happening this Saturday in Atlanta. Auburn is playing Missouri for the SEC Championship and that should not have happened.
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