Now in its seventh year as a member of the SEC, the Missouri Tigers may have found a natural rival on the football field in South Carolina, unlike the forced rivalry with Arkansas.
In a league that has largely been as unwelcoming to Mizzou’s membership as SEC fans have been, one would be led to believe that the Tigers are disliked by the majority of fans, as “not SEC.” We’ve seen it time and again since Mizzou joined the conference. At this point, it’s an old, worn-out tale.
For at least the past four or five years, the media has been trying to force a rivalry, the “Battle Line Rivalry,” between Missouri and Arkansas. While the geographical proximity makes complete sense, neither program or its following have completely bought into it.
As a basketball fan growing up in North Carolina, the Duke-Carolina rivalry is well-known. I understand the excitement, pride, history, and begrudging respect between rival programs. Traditions that are steeped in hatred, competition, and bragging rights, to name a few.
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When Missouri joined the SEC, the Tigers lost their long-time rival, Kansas. There are multiple opinions on the matter — some would like to see the rivalry renewed, while others are content leaving it alone — but Mizzou joined a conference with no real rival.
Despite others’ opinions, a rivalry between South Carolina seems to be blooming and makes the most sense, as both programs have been competitive with each other, since the Tigers joined the SEC. Under head coach Barry Odom, however, the Tigers are a winless 0-3 to their “Columbia-East” opponents.
Also of note, Missouri replaced South Carolina, also a transplant to the SEC, when the Tigers and Texas A&M bid farewell to the Big 12. So the differences between the programs aren’t terribly stark.
Suffice to say, if this is a developing rivalry, it will be less historically-significant, but more of a competitive-based affair. While Missouri has mostly been on the losing side of the win-loss column against South Carolina, the Tigers have been largely competitive with the Gamecocks.
The latest loss the Tigers suffered in 2018 felt the worst, as Odom seemed to have the Tigers on the brink of victory, after kicker Tucker McCann pulled Mizzou ahead on a 57-yard field goal, with just over a minute left in the game.
At that moment, I was optimistic that the defense would find a way to hang on for a Mizzou win, but instead, it “Mizzou-ed” and whomp-whomp, the Gamecocks scored the walk-off field goal and took the win.
That loss started my disdain for weather delays, of which there were two in that game, and further drew my dislike of South Carolina. This Saturday’s game should be no different. It will be fought and won in the trenches.
The biggest difference this year will be Mizzou’s signal caller, in former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant. The two cross-state schools have battled it out every year, and until recently, Clemson has had its share of struggles.
Once again, we’ll all be waiting to see if Mizzou can pull off the unlikely upset, this time led by a quarterback who’s even more familiar with the opponent. If the Tigers manage a win, then that may be the ticket to a natural rivalry.