For more than two weeks, the Missouri Tigers knew they would be playing in the Big 12 Championship game. On Sunday evening, they finally found out who they'll face. Mizzou will get Oklahoma in a rematch of the 2007 conference championship game, won 38-17 by the Sooners.
Oklahoma edged out the Texas Longhorns and will represent the Big 12 South on the basis of a .013 point lead in the Bowl Championship Standings, which were released on Sunday night.
The Sooners' bid is the center of controversy in college football. Oklahoma finished at 7-and-1 in the Big 12, tied for first in the South with Texas and Texas Tech. The Red Raiders became a virtual non-factor in the discussion when they were beaten 65-21 by the Sooners two weeks ago. It came down to Oklahoma versus Texas, a Red River Rivalry in the computers. And despite a 45-35 Longhorn win when the teams met on the field, Oklahoma got the nod.
In the end, the difference was likely Oklahoma's non-conference schedule. The Sooners faced TCU, which was ranked most of the season, and Cincinnati, which won the Big East and will play in a BCS bowl. The Longhorns had no one tougher than SEC bottom-feeder Arkansas before opening Big 12 play.
“Glad to be over with,” Bob Stoops said in the Daily Oklahoman. “I don’t think anyone’s been comfortable with this. Been more aggravating than anything.”
Probably a little more so for Longhorn fans. Is it fair? Probably not. Does it matter? Definitely not.
Missouri now has to find a way to beat an Oklahoma team which has scored a mind-boggling 254 points in its last four games. The Sooners have posted at least 45 in every game since that loss to Texas and lead the nation in scoring. Outside of Texas, only the Kansas Jayhawks have hung closer than 20 points to Oklahoma. The Tigers will likely be without starting cornerback Castine Bridges, who left Saturday's loss against Kansas with a knee injury. And, oh by the way, the Sooners beat Missouri twice last year, by a combined 31 points.
The Tigers will hold their weekly media session on Monday afternoon and InsideSTL.com will have reaction from Mizzou's players and coaches later today.