Know Your Opponent: Missouri

Florida quarterback Steve Spurrier set a new school record for
passing yards (352) in the Gators' first ever meeting with the
Tigers in the 1966 Sugar Bowl. Despite his heroics, the Gators
fell, 20-18. However, the performance caught the eye of the
nation, culminating in Spurrier being awarded the 1966
Heisman Trophy. The Seminole

The Gators move on from their victory over Ole Miss to face the Tigers from the University of Missouri in Columbia. The University of Missouri was established in 1839 and is the oldest public university west of the Mississippi. During the Civil War, the residents of Columbia formed a militia, nicknamed the "Fighting Tigers", to protect the city and university from Confederate sympathizers. The school became fully coeducational in 1871. Today, the school enrolls over 35,000 students (including over 27,000 undergrads). Mizzou's school colors are black and gold (usually yellow, in appearance).

Football was first played at the University of Missouri in 1890. Immediately afterwards, the team adopted the nickname "Tigers", an homage to the Civil War militia. In 1907, Missouri became a charter member of the Big Eight Conference. They remained in the Big Eight until 1996, when that conference expanded and became the Big 12 Conference. In 2012, Missouri, along with Texas A&M, left the Big 12 to join the Southeastern Conference. During their membership in the Big Eight, Missouri won 12 conference championships (including one retroactively). Missouri’s first Big Eight title was in earned 1909; their last was in 1969. Missouri did not win a Big 12 title, nor have they won an SEC title. From 1958 to 1969, Dan Devine led the Tigers to 12 consecutive winning seasons, capturing Big Eight titles in 1960 and 1969. Devine's only losing season was his last, in 1970; after that season, Devine left Columbia for South Bend.

The Tigers play their home games at Faurot Field (pronounced “fah-roe”) at Memorial Stadium. Faurot Field officially seats over 71,000 fans, with the record attendance in excess of 75,000. The field is named after long-time head coach Don Faurot, who helmed the Tigers from 1935 to 1956 (barring the final three years of the Second World War, in which Faurot coached military teams).

Missouri’s successes are fairly modest in comparison with most other SEC schools. Six teams in Missouri history have won ten or more games in one season. In the polls, the 1960, 2007, and 2013 Missouri squads rank as their most successful. The 1960 squad completed their season 10-1, but were retroactively rewarded an 11-0 record and Big Eight title after it was discovered Kansas had committed violations; they finished #5 in the AP poll. The 2007 team finished as AP #4 and defeated Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. Their 12-2 record was marred only by their two losses to Oklahoma. The 2013 edition of the Missouri Tigers surpassed expectations by winning the SEC East and finishing 12-2. The 2013 Tigers finished #5 in the AP poll after besting Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl. Despite a long history of great players, no Heisman winner has ever been produced by Mizzou. Hall-of-Famer Johnny Roland played defensive back and running back for the Tigers in 1962, 1964, and 1965 (mind that this was decades past the era in which most players played both ways). Roland was a three-time all-Big Eight player and an all-American in his senior year. In 1965, he became the first black player to serve as captain on any Missouri athletics team. Another notable Tiger, quarterback Chase Daniel, finished fourth in the Heisman voting in 2007.

Mizzou is the one SEC team Florida has defeated fewer than
twice. Florida's only win came in 2012 in the Swamp, when
the Gators took advantage of four James Franklin
interceptions and came back from a halftime deficit
to survive, 14-7. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Although currently dormant, Missouri has a fierce rivalry with the Kansas Jayhawks. The Border War, as it is known, was held nearly every year from 1891 until 2011 (the First World War caused the schools to break just once, in 1918). In their 120 meetings, Missouri emerged victorious in 57 and Kansas in 54 (9 games resulted in ties). Despite its long and competitive history, the rivalry rarely impacted the national scene. This wasn't the case in 2007, when 10-1, fourth-ranked Missouri faced the undefeated, 11-0, second-ranked Jayhawks in Kansas City. Playing for a potential spot in the BCS Championship game, the Tigers knocked off the Jayhawks, 36-28. The annual series was canceled after Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2012. It remains unknown if or when the border-rivals will revive their series.

The Florida Gators and Missouri Tigers have only played four times in their history. Thus, Florida has played Missouri less frequently than any other conference opponent other than Texas A&M. Their first meeting was in the 1966 Sugar Bowl, which was won by Missouri 20-18 despite a furious fourth quarter comeback attempt by the Steve Spurrier-led Gators. Their second meeting, and the Gators' only win to date, was a defensive struggle won by Florida, 14-7. The first game in Columbia was won handily by Missouri and followed up by another lopsided victory in Gainesville.

Missouri's fight song is based off the British naval tune "It's a Long Way to Tipperary", popularized by the German war epic Das Boot.