I don't mean on the field. I'm talking more about recruiting.

Now imagine Bama just switched conferences and spent the last 24 months hearing that they made a huge mistake and would get piss-pounded by their new rivals. And that the loudest voices they heard it from were coming from the same conference that was on the other side of the field.

Are all bowl games equal? No, they are not.

This one, OTOH, was absolutely huge for Missouri. It was a final **** you to the Big 12. It was proof that they are a great football team. It was a bounce-back from a strong thumping from Auburn.

Missouri isn't Alabama. They don't get to say "oh well, we won the title in 2012". They are constantly teetering on the brink of a crisis of confidence and wins like this are what they need to move further and further away from that cliff.

This was a massive win for the program, IMO.

Poetry. Every word...

Reap.....you are one of the well-thought and reasonable Bama fans. And you know that I know you are a Bama fan. But I work with a couple of Bama alumni and let me tell you, they aren't anywhere close to your same mindset. They pretty much spent most of the next day acting like someone pissed in their corn flakes, stupped their wives and reminded them that Auburn was playing for the NC.

One went as far as to say that he wished that Saban had taken the Texas job because he might have become complacent.

While you may be reasonable, you know that you are probably in the minority in that thinking.

Oh, that's good. Unfortunately, there are plenty of hack sportswriters who believe in that sort of thing about team momentum, even though it'll be a new team.

I'm not convinced that the outcome of a bowl game matters much in recruiting. Maybe embarrassing blowout losses could hurt, but regular ol' losses aren't that different from a regular ol' bowl win as far as recruiting goes. Just my opinion. The exposure that comes from the bowl game is good enough.

That depends on the program too, I suppose. A program that is seen as up and coming could benefit from bowl victories. Miami fans, for example, might need to be worried about UCF now.

But overall, my position on bowl games is unwavering: you definitely want to play in them, for the exposure and the extra weeks of practice. But for established programs the actual outcome of the game doesn't matter, or at least matters far less than any regular season game.

Eh, I can buy that with the caveat that all we're talking about it perception. Because it crumbles under close scrutiny; Missouri nearly lost this game, and the reason why it almost lost (Pinkel's stubbornness) isn't going away. Perception may have changed because of this win, but the program itself really doesn't change.

Well, Alabama has one of the worst fanbases in all of sports. None of that surprises me. Yeah, I'm well aware that I'm in the minority as far as Bama fans go. There are plenty of reasonable, analytical Alabama fans. There are, unfortunately, many many more country bumpkins and frat douches, none of whom understand football, that make up that fanbase.

In a sport where the whims of 18 yr old kids ultimately play a huge role in your ultimate success or failure, I'd say perception means a pretty fair amount.

You noted that bowl outcomes aren't huge for 'established' programs - well you don't become an established program without them. Mizzou's not there yet, but they're getting closer. This will help in that regard.

Oh, absolutely, he played poorly overall. I was simply responding to the idea of his final impression, which should be fairly good.

You're talking about Mizzou, but you're doing it from a crimson paradigm. If ever there is a school/program that needs a reason to puff out our chests, it's this one. What's more is that this win validates our season. It answered a lot of questions.

Awesome. You just won the intranets.

Just got home. This game killed a fully charged phone between text messages and group texts.

Defense really played its heart out and answered the bell after the SEC title game. Gave up a lot of total yards, but also faced 96 plays in this game. Things I really liked:

Harassed Chelf. He was making a lot of hurried throws.

PUNISHED the Okie Lite WRs. Loved how hard they were hitting. Loved the way they made them pay.

And made the play of the game when it mattered.

Won field position consistently.

Offensively, that was pretty ugly. Worst game I think Franklin has played, but he made plays when it mattered most. The Blaine Gabbert/Iowa reverse comparison is a great one.

Great game from Henry Josey and I hope we haven't see the last of him in black and gold.

Oh, and how about the Sack Fairy making one final play?

This win is important for Mizzou for a few reasons.

1) Any time you can win 12 games and finish in the top 5, it's important for a program of Mizzou's stature
2) Cements the idea that this WAS a good team and not just a product of its schedule

Everyone have a great night...after the excitement of that game I am going to make a feeble attempt to get some sleep.

Fat chance...but I gotta try.

First off, congrats from a Jayhawk fan. Big win for your program. Have to admit, I was pulling for OKState, mostly because I'm a KU fan, and secondly because I live in SEC country and I get sick of the LSU SEC hacks that pull for their "rival" when they aren't playing them. Now, one question. When will Green-Beckham declare for the draft? I would love to see him in a Chiefs jersey, although I don't see it happening.

To me, I'm just doing it from the paradigm of a lifelong Mizzou fan who has always felt that bowl games are a frilly extra thing. I've never understood, and will never understand, why we collectively place so much importance in them. They only matter because we pretend they do.

So for a Missouri fan such as myself, with that mental approach to bowl games, I thought our season was validated by winning the SEC East and making it to the conference championship game. That game (and its sad, sad outcome) will always matter to me more than all of the bowls combined. I don't feel very puffy right now. I gots puffed for winning the East, though. And I wouldn't have felt very downtrodden tonight if Mizzou had lost to OSU.