Last year, the Clemson Tigers were the Figure 1A example of a “feast or famine” team in college football. The Tigers started out a flawless 8-0 and ranked #6 in the AP poll, only to lose four of their last six.
With the arrival of Mizzou to the SEC (along with Texas A&M this season) a third team with the “Tigers” nickname is added to the conference fray. Missouri hopes to distinguish itself far more than its mascot, however.
Auburn fans weren’t thrilled when Gene Chizik, then from Iowa State, was hired to replace Tommy Tuberville, but Chizik has done an excellent job with the Tigers. He delivered the program’s second national title in 2010, its first since 1957.
The boys from Baton Rouge had a flawless 2011 season before rival Alabama shut them out in the BCS title game, 21-0. For the balance of the campaign, LSU had a defense that might have been the only unit more imposing than Alabama’s.
Clemson football has developed a deep-seated reputation for under-performance. The Tigers routinely have elite athletes that are funneled to the professional ranks, yet it never seems to translate in the win column.
Auburn had its whirlwind dream season last year, coming back to beat nemesis Alabama, winning the SEC title and the National Championship and yielding a Heisman Trophy-winning QB in Cam Newton.
Larry Porter’s first season on the job at Memphis was a miserable one. The Tigers went 1-11 and they were abysmal in every aspect of the game.
The Tigers are another perennial SEC powerhouse that milks every drop of their in-state football talent.
The Missouri Tigers lost their best player on both sides of the ball from last year’s team, but that doesn’t mean the Tigers will be dropping to the bottom of the conference anytime soon. Blaine Gabbert and Aldon Smith will be sorely missed, but Missouri is extremely deep and that should show in 2011.
