The opening round in the SEC has officially been set for Missouri as they look ahead to their first season away from the Big 12. Gary Pinkel has a tall order ahead of him to make an instant impact on the Southeastern Conference as their new rivals wonder at what level both the Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies will be able to compete. They will begin to find out soon enough with the Georgia Bulldogs first up on the SEC schedule.
Georgia vs. Missouri on Sept. 8 will be at 7:45 ET, on ESPN2. The opener against Buffalo will be at 12:20.
— Seth Emerson (@SethEmerson) July 16, 2012
Mark Richt's team is loaded even without Isaiah Crowell and it should provide an instant test for Missouri. However as much as everyone wants to make a big deal about the SEC being the top conference in college football, the Big 12 is actually tougher top to bottom. Thus the new entrants into the SEC might be able to surprise some teams in their first year.