One of the main lines of questioning Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel received at the SEC media days was about how his team would fare in the SEC and whether he resented the implication that they weren't up to par with "the best football league in the country".
Pinkel refused to bite:
"I don't think it's a chip necessarily," Pinkel said. "To me it's being a competitor. As a competitor, you get challenged a little bit. ... Bottom line, you got to go out and prove yourself. I'm fine with it. I have no problem with it. (I'm) not going to make any predictions. Never have, never will. You have to go out and compete and earn respect and win. Only way you're going to get respect is winning games."
The good news is, for all the hype the SEC likes to give itself, Missouri is walking into a position in the SEC East no worse than the one they left in the Big 12.
Tennessee and Florida, the two traditional powers in that division, are rebuilding while neither Georgia nor South Carolina have been a dominant squad in the last few seasons.
In short, the Tigers will have plenty of chances to win some football games next season.
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