The Long Road Home

Fourteen hours is a long drive, especially when your stomach is still in knots after Mizzou's loss. We just passed through Norman, Oklahoma and the blogging crew and I have been reflecting on our epic journey. Kudos to Tiger fans who made the trip down to San Antonio. You were outnumbered, but certainly made your voices heard. You have a lot to be proud of. Kudos also to the football team. I don't think anyone could have imagined this dream season. You may not be the champs, but I wouldn't trade this Tiger team for any other in the country.

On the KOMU side, big high five to our news crew. Jim, Megan, Lauren, Eric, Chris, Randy, Scott, Mark, Rog, Jason, Stacey, Stan, Kindle, Chaz, Joe, LT and all the KOMU alums that helped out. A special shout out to our web editor Jen Reeves. This is the gal that made it all happen on this blog. You have no idea how much the blogging team appreciates your hard work. Tiger fans have been AIM messaging us throughout the trip thanking us when they should really be thanking you. And finally, my blogging crew. Charlie, my partner in crime, Vanessa for all her witty one-liners and Caroline for making us look good in our photos. This will be my final post on the blog. Thanks again to everyone. See you back in Columbia!

Chase for the Championship: Behind the Scenes

KOMU's hour long Chase For the Championship special starts in just a few minutes at the top of the hour. Join Megan Murphy, Jim Riek, Eric Blumberg, a host of reporters, a couple other special guests, and maybe another appearance from some top-notch bloggers! Until then, take a look at some behind the scenes video we shot at the Alamodome in the parking lot.

To the Alamodome

We grabbed lunch on the River Walk and are now on our way to the Alamodome. We'll be catching up with some Mizzou fans as well as preparing for the one-hour pregame tailgate show with some of KOMU's finest. Traffic in downtown San Antonio has been difficult to navigate to say the least, but we're not going to let anything keep this blog down.

One more thing to pass along...our tiger tail that was harmlessly hanging from the trunk of the Grand Am has been STOLEN! We can handle the lost tail if the Tigers bring home the title tonight.

--TP

Profilet's Pick: Big 12 Championship Edition

As you may remember from the Opening Drive on KOMU.com, I like to pick the winners of any and all high school football games in mid-Missouri. I have never picked a Mizzou game all season, but this one is special, so I bring you a special edition of Profilet's Picks.



GO TIGERS!

--TP

**NOTE from Jen Reeves: The embedded video player is acting odd, so here's the link to YouTube if you can't see Profilet's Picks.

Fun in Marlin, TX

During our short stay in Marlin, Charlie and I took some time out to relive our high school football glory days. Here's how we finished our time at the Dawg Pound.

--TP

Corso Picks Missouri

As part of ESPN College Gameday, analyst Lee Corso ends the show by picking the winner of the game of the week. And, for the second straight week, Coach picked the Tigers! Lots of Mizzou fans were at the Alamo this morning to watch the Gameday crew, and they were certainly pleased to see Lee predict a Tiger victory. Check back later for Profilet's pick!

--TP

Catching up on the Past

Danario Alexander's 118 yards and one touchdown against Kansas last week helped propel the Tigers to the Big 12 North title. We payed a visit to Danario's high school in the small town of Marlin, Texas and caught up with his former coach, Cassius Johnson. Take a peek.

--TP

A Short Stay in the Big D

As I mentioned last night, the road trip crew stayed the night on the campus of SMU. We arrived at roughly 2:30 am, but the Sigma Chi house was still hopping. The boys were just coming in from a night in the city, so we certainly came at a great hour to get the feel of the house. The guys at Sigma Chi were more hospitable than we could have asked for. Sure, the hallways were a little messy, but it’s college. A special shout-out to Christmas decorator extraordinaire, Wes Gable, who cleaned up and let us take over his room for the night. Thanks again, buddy. Our night was, in the words of Caroline Gable, “Frat-tastic.”

--TP

Tiger Fans Big Story in USA Today

It’s safe to say the Missouri Tigers have flown under the radar most of the season. Before last week, none of the so-called college football “experts” thought Mizzou had a chance to play for the national title. The experts and Vegas odds-makers favoring the Sooners in the Big 12 Championship hasn’t deterred Tiger fans. The USA Today highlighted YOU today…yes, YOU Tiger fans! The author asked running back Tony Temple what the school’s identity was. Is MU a basketball school, football school or has the lack of championships in either sport left it as a journalism school? Here is Tony’s response:

"When we came here, we knew Missouri was known as a basketball school, but we're trying to change that. Our school is known for Brad, Sheryl and journalism. But, it might be a football school one day."

I’d have to say that day has arrived. Look around Columbia and see the school spirit, look at how fans traveled to KC and how many fans will be in San Antonio. I have a hunch there will be even more in New Orleans…but we’ll have to see.

--TP

Ultimate Road Trip Playlist - Lauren Whitney

Now with four hours of sleep under our belts, we're ready for the remaining 250 miles of road between Dallas and San Antonio. We had an interesting night at SMU to say the least...more on that later. For now, we're grabbing some coffee and grub before hitting the road. Let's crank up some tunes from Lauren Whitney's playlist.

Country Grammar - Nelly
Fight Tigers! - Marching Mizzou
Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake

This trio of tunes is getting us jacked up this morning. GO TIGERS!

--TP

Whew!

That’s pretty much says it all. An eleven-hour journey from Columbia to Dallas has finally come to a close. Caroline, our road trip photographer, has some connections in the Big D, as her brother, Wes, is a sophomore at SMU. Tonight, we’ll crash at the Sigma Chi fraternity house on campus. A college road trip would not be complete without experiencing another campus…even at 3:00 in the morning. Thanks for staying up with us tonight! We’ll be back on the road bright and early tomorrow as we finish the drive to San Antonio. On tap for tomorrow: more road trip playlists from KOMU anchors, a Texas high school football experience and the River Walk. Please continue to send us your questions, predictions and thoughts about the Big 12 Championship. Feel free to comment after any of our posts or chat with us by using the AIM widget at the top of the page. We love hearing from you! Goodnight (morning) and GO TIGERS! Only 51 hours to kickoff!

--TP

Ultimate Road Trip Playlist - Eric Blumberg

We just crossed into the great state of Texas! Dallas is approaching slowly but surely. We heard the Cowboys scored a big victory tonight over the Packers, so we expect Texans to be in a good mood tonight.

As we cross into Texas, we change our tunes to Dallas native Eric Blumberg’s favorites. Here were his suggestions for the trip.

Guns ‘N Roses
50 Cent
Sports Talk Radio

As is typical with Eric, he is very specific about what he likes. Sports talk radio? Yeah, at 1:00 in the morning, two guys yelling at each other about the BCS is really going to keep us from driving off a bridge. Who’s the kid here, are you kidding me?

--TP

Fun in Norman

How could we pass up a stop in Norman, Oklahoma? We pulled over in Norman to preview the OU offense vs. the MU defense…and to have a little fun. Anyone remember Rhett Bomar? We do. Take a look.

A Change at the Top

Finally, Charlie has taken the wheel. The first 472 miles would have been painful had it not been for great food, great friends and most importantly, hot jams. I think everyone in the car had a chance to grab some shut-eye in the car, except for me of course. But hey, I’m so pumped for the game, I could drive the whole way! The Grand Am is officially past the halfway point on this epic trek to San Antonio. And, for the first time on the trip, we passed another car with a tiger tail hanging out of the trunk! We can’t wait to be reunited with Tiger fans in the Lone Star State. It’s nearly one in the morning and we have a couple of hours to go yet. With plenty of Red Bull in hand, we should be fine.

--TP