Missouri looks for validation in SEC championship game (VIDEO)

A security guard walks past the Missouri locker room Friday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The Tigers will play Auburn today in the Southeastern Conference championship game.
A security guard walks past the Missouri locker room Friday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The Tigers will play Auburn today in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Aretha Franklin would be proud.

That's because respect is the tune the Missouri Tigers are singing. As in they're not getting enough.

The ongoing quest for respect culminates when No. 5 Missouri takes on No. 3 Auburn in the Southeastern Conference championship game at 3 p.m. today (KRCG-TV) inside the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

"We knew what we were about. Nobody else knew what we were about. That's what's so special about this season, is even though we're in the SEC championship, we're still trying to get our respect," Missouri center Evan Boehm said. "That's special about this group. We're just setting out to go get our respect."

The lack of respect comes mostly from national pundits and talking heads on radio and TV shows. There's not much talk about Missouri having a shot at the national title game, not a whole lot of confidence in Missouri toppling Auburn, not much banter about the merits of Missouri's resume compared to Florida State, Ohio State, Auburn and Alabama.

"Probably because all those teams have won national championships before and we haven't," Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel said. "Maybe (because we're) the new kids on the block or whatever it is. That doesn't faze me.

"... It's the beauty of it, you have to go play. I can't do anything more than that. You have to go play and take care of your own business, so that's what we do."

It's a position Missouri is familiar with, ever since being picked to finish sixth in the SEC East Division during the preseason.

"Each week we're the underdog," Missouri senior wide receiver L'Damian Washington said. "It's crazy but we're probably the only 11-1 SEC team that has been an underdog in every game this year. That's crazy to think about."

And should that change?

"That's cool. We like it," Washington said. "Keep it that way."

That seems to be the general consensus on the Missouri squad.

"I would say we're still working for the respect that we need," senior cornerback E.J. Gaines said. "Being the underdogs, having a chip on our shoulder, that's kind of Missouri. That's what we've been doing at Missouri for a while now. We're used to it."

Added defensive end Shane Ray: "We kind of enjoy it, being the underdog. The thing is, you're only the underdog if you think you're the underdog. We don't find ourselves to be the underdogs. We find ourselves to be a group of guys that are going to play to the best of their ability against anybody you put in front of us. It's nice how people are viewing us or not viewing us."

The chip-on-the-shoulder, underdog, searching-for-respect mindset has worked wonder for Missouri this year. So why not keep it going?

"I want to be respected," Pinkel said. "When people expect us to win here, and we have a losing season, you lose respect. When I took the job here, at the press conference I said, "I want University of Missouri football to build a program that's respected in the league they play in and nationally.' That's really important to me."

The respect level has certainly reached unexpected heights, even if it's not where Missouri wants it to be. The Tigers, after all, are playing for conference title in the nation's most prestigious league, one that boasts the last seven national champions.

That's what Missouri plays for.

"That's THE goal," Pinkel said.

It's the top goal of three listed on blocks in the Missouri locker room. The other two are conference divisional title and bowl championship.

One is done. Two are still left to accomplish.

Missouri can get one step closer to that ultimate goal today. And all the respect that comes with it.

View pre-game interview with Gary Pinkel here if video fails to load automatically.