Bryan Burwell

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - By the end of what was, at least momentarily, the best night of his coaching life, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel stood in the bowels of frosty Arrowhead Stadium gently rubbing the Big 12 North championship trophy like it was a genie’s lamp. If Pinkel was caressing it in hopes of having his every wish granted, it didn’t take long to discover what his wildest wishes were.

“This one’s nice,” Pinkel said, flashing a sly grin in the aftermath of Saturday night’s 36-28 victory over previously unbeaten Kansas. “And now I’d like to have a round one. Or maybe it’s an oval. We have a picture of it in our locker room.”

Was that trophy Pinkel wishing for just happen to be made of carved Waterford crystal and shaped like a football (the Bowl Championship Series championship trophy), he was asked?

“Hey, let’s not jump the gun,” Pinkel chuckled. “I’m talking about the Big 12 championship trophy.”

In the frenzied moments after Pinkel’s 11-1 Tigers (ranked 1st in the AP poll and in the BCS standings) had just knocked off No. 2 ranked KU, there were a lot of crazy dreams floating around Arrowhead Stadium. The delirious Mizzou fans were shivering with sheer delight at the conclusion of this contest.

This was the end of the best night of their football loving lives. Armageddon at Arrowhead was ticking down to the final precious seconds and one side of this enormous bowl of a stadium that once was full of screaming Kansas fans was now filled with nothing but empty orange seats. And here were all these Mizzou fans on their side of Arrowhead, and they were partying like it was 1969.

“We’re Number 1!,” they chanted. “We’re Number 1!.”

One more week, several more items checked off the season-long “to-do” list.

Border War bragging rights to Mizzou. Big 12 North title to Mizzou. Greatest victory in the history of their lifetimes to all these long-suffering Tiger faithful, too.

But let’s be honest here, that No. 1 chant was no longer about parochial rivalries and this uncivil war’s regional bragging rights. The magnitude of this Mizzou’s victory was about so much bigger and better things.

No. 1 LSU was already knocked off its top perch in the college football rankings, and the third-ranked Tigers had knocked off the previously unbeaten No. 2 team in the land.

“Quite an evening, huh?” Pinkel said as he strolled into a crowded interview room and faced all those whirling minicams and humming motordrives.

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Quite an evening, indeed. The Tigers won their 11^th game of the season, ruined Kansas’ perfect season and kept alive all the magic of this crazy wonderful season for one more week. They did it on national television and inside a soldout stadium full of equally divided fanatics that gave this duel a major bowl game feel.

So now you do the math. By the end of Sunday afternoon, words will be uttered and headlines will be written, and they should all say the same thing.

Missouri’s Tigers should be the No. 1 football team in the land.

By any logical measure of practical logic, the Tigers should have done enough to convince any skeptic that they deserve the heady title of college football’s No. 1 team.

“It’s great,” said Pinkel. “This is what happens when you play in the Big 12 and you’re 11-1 and possibly have a shot for the national championship. I’m excited about it, but I’d rather be (No. 1) a week from tonight.”

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The Tigers are trying to accept the newest of their accent to the top of the college football world as if they’ve traveled this road before. They understand fully that arriving at No. 1 even in the last weekend of November is an impressive achievement. But they still have work to do.

“I don’t care about what happens (if the polls and BCS rankings will elevate the Tigers to No. 1),” said quarterback Chase Daniel. “I hope we are No. 1, but all that stuff doesn’t matter. It is good for show, good for Columbia and the state of Missouri. But we have a tough game in San Antonio against a great Oklahoma team coming up.”

Yes, that is the next item on the “to-do” list. Revenge.

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