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Mizzou awaits winner of Big 12 South free-for-all

By JEFF LATZKE

Published November 16, 2008 at 12:59 p.m.
Updated November 17, 2008 at 9:35 a.m.

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ With all the fanfare surrounding last year's "Border Showdown" against Kansas, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel admits that the school's first-ever Big 12 North title got lost in the shuffle a little bit.

The rivals came into that game ranked No. 2 and No. 3 and the implications seemed so much bigger than a divisional title.

This year's game won't carry the same level of drama, after the Tigers (9-2, 5-2 Big 12) wrapped up the North title with a 52-20 win at Iowa State on Saturday combined with Kansas' 35-7 loss to No. 4 Texas.

"I am excited that we are Big 12 North champions again and I think our football team has high expectations for themselves and we have more football still," Pinkel said, adding that he was glad he didn't get a Gatorade shower on a 20-degree night in Ames, Iowa.

"It is also a couple of weeks before our last game so it is nice to have that out of the way."

No. 12 Missouri's win cements one side of the Big 12 championship matchup and also clears the stage for the main attraction in the conference this year: the wild South race that even Mizzou quarterback Chase Daniel called a "circus."

No. 2 Texas Tech can simplify matters and clinch the South title by beating No. 5 Oklahoma in their showdown Saturday in Norman, but otherwise it could get messy.

A win by the Sooners opens the possibility of a three-way tie at the top of the standings, and that would bring the BCS standings — and the controversy that's sure to accompany them — into the picture as the tiebreaker.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

All that's known now is that whoever emerges from the South free-for-all will face a resurgent Missouri team that has won four in a row since losing back-to-back games against Oklahoma State and Texas to fall out of the top 5.

"We have a long way to go. There's a lot still out there," said Daniel, who completed his first 16 passes and finished 32-for-40 for 328 yards and two touchdowns. "We want to keep going on. We've got a week off, then we have to focus on Kansas and then whoever comes up in the Big 12 South."

Mizzou's last two wins have come without star tight end Chase Coffman, who was a game-time decision against Iowa State because of his turf toe injury. Pinkel said Coffman, who earlier this season broke the NCAA record for catches by a tight end, probably could have played and will be available against the Jayhawks.

As for Kansas, the rivalry game against Missouri provides a chance for some redemption after a dramatic falloff from last season's 12-1 run and Orange Bowl victory. The Jayhawks have been battered 143-59 by Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma after having none of the three Big 12 South powers on their schedule last season, the best in school history.

"Physically, we've been just a little overmatched against those teams," quarterback Todd Reesing said. "They've had a little better talent."

Even without the high-stakes atmosphere from last year, when Missouri won 36-28, there still should be plenty of juice in the rivalry Nov. 29 at Arrowhead Stadium.

"Guys are still hungry for that KU game. It's definitely a big rivalry game, so we're not going to take them lightly," Missouri receiver Jeremy Maclin said.

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AGGIES' AGONY:@ The fall of Texas A&M and the rise of Baylor this season coincided to have the Aggies trailing the Bears by 34 before two fourth-quarter scores made the final margin of defeat 41-21.

It was only Baylor's second win in the last 23 games in the series and the fifth time the Bears have scored 40 points in a Big 12 game.

"Each one is more disappointing than the next, but this one was disappointing," Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said. "I take nothing away from Baylor. We fully expected to come in here and play better than we did and we didn't play better.

"Before the Oklahoma game, I thought we were making progress and making advancements. I feel like we've had two setbacks here in the last two weeks. The culmination of last week and this week is very disappointing."

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KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON:@ Iowa State got a little creative to protect the redshirts for freshmen quarterbacks Jerome Tiller and Brett Bueker.

Starter Austen Arnaud had to come out of Saturday's game after getting a stinger in his knee on the Cyclones' opening drive of the third quarter, and coach Gene Chizik preferred not to burn a redshirt if he'd only be out momentarily.

But the Cyclones are without their regular backup after Phillip Bates quit the team last month. Bueker put his helmet on and was ready to go onto the field, but coaches came up with a different plan.

Tailback Alexander Robinson lined up in the shotgun and took a direct snap, running the ball for no gain before Arnaud came back in for the next play.

Arnaud has been one of the few bright spots for Cyclones. He's thrown for 2,352 yards, despite splitting time with Bates earlier this season, and is 29 completions from the school record of 244 set by Seneca Wallace in 2002. His 36 completions against Missouri were an Iowa State record for a single game.

"He's coming along as a quarterback, and we can see that," Chizik said.

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QUICK HITS:@ No. 11 Oklahoma State has won nine games in a season for only the seventh time in school history. ... Despite his team's 56-28 win against Kansas State, Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said his team played "sloppy." Defensive end Zach Potter says Pelini's standards aren't "unrealistic, but they are impossible to live up to. I think he sets his standards and his goals so high so no one can be perfect and there's always room for improvement." ... Baylor freshman QB Robert Griffin needs only 199 total yards next week to break the school record for total offense, set last year by Blake Szymanski. ... Something has got to give Saturday when Kansas State meets Iowa State. The Wildcats have lost five straight games for the first time since 2005, while Iowa State has lost nine in a row.

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AP Sports Writers Luke Meredith in Ames, Iowa; Stephen Hawkins in Waco, Texas; John Marshall in Manhattan, Kan.; and Doug Tucker in Lawrence, Kan., contributed to this report.

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