The Mizzou Fan's Survival Guide to the SEC

As a Mizzou fan, you have been to the same Big 12 Conference locales, from Lubbock to Lincoln, for years. You have known the long-standing traditions, the can't-miss restaurants, the best bars. It's a comfortable feeling, similar to your dislike of Kansas. Then you wake up on November 7, 2011, to the announcement that the Tigers are switching leagues, jumping into the snake pit called the Southeastern Conference! And they are doing it starting the 2012 football season. Your mind shifts into overdrive, considering questions about the SEC, your new athletic universe, such as: Is Fayetteville, AR at the end of the earth? No, but you can see the end from there. Why do I need earplugs when I visit Starkville, MS? Because the SEC deemed it legal for Mississippi State fans to ring their beloved cowbells whenever the ball is not in play. Who's the biggest figure in SEC football history, Alabama coach Bear Bryant or Florida quarterback Tim Tebow? It's a draw. Both have their own statues outside their respective stadiums. Does the Tennessee band know how to play any song but "Rocky Top?" No, they play it repeatedly until you throw yourself off the top of Neyland Stadium. The Mizzou Fan's Survival Guide to the SEC is your shortcut to instantly and easily navigating the most competitive and hardest-partying college conference in the nation. Be prepared for the brave new world of the SEC.

Ron Higgins is starting his 34th year covering the SEC. An eight-time honoree as the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Writer of the Year, he currently works for The Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis and SECsports.com. Steve Richardson, a Mizzou grad, has covered 24 Final Fours, all the traditional major bowl games, professional sports and two Olympics. He has been executive director of the Football Writers Association of America since 1996. Dave Matter grew up in St. Louis and graduated from the University of Missouri's School of Journalism. He's been a sportswriter for the Columbia Daily Tribune since 1998 and covers Mizzou's football program.