One year ago, it seemed very unlikely that an SEC Championship game would feature both the Auburn Tigers and the Missouri Tigers. Both teams sat at the bottom of their respective divisions in 2012. Auburn won three games while Missouri did not finish in a much kinder fashion. Now, both teams are in play for a BCS national championship birth if they can get a win in the Georgia Dome.
Auburn's season has been filled with unexpected moments. Last year the team went winless in the SEC. This year they are coming off a win against top-ranked Georgia and former No. 1 Alabama to reach the conference championship game. Last season Auburn fired their coach only to hire Gus Malzahn who is now in discussion for several coaching awards.
Missouri locked up the their No. 5 ranking by shutting down Texas A&M and Heisman favorite Johnny Manziel in convincing fashion. Their only loss came to South Carolina on a field goal in overtime.This is a big change from their debut SEC season where the team went 5-7 and won just two conference games. Gary Pinkel's squad has made an epic turnaround.
For Auburn, this game comes down to Nick Marshall and Tre Mason. Those two combine for a deadly pairing that represent the entire offense for the Tigers. Marshall rushed for 99 yards against Alabama while Mason put up 164 yards in the Iron Bowl. They each recorded a touchdown. That formula could be successful once again as Missouri is giving significant yards on the ground.
James Franklin will lead the Tigers with the team's two receivers L'Damian Washington and Dorial Green-Beckham. Each receiver has 10 touchdowns to their name while four different Missouri players have rushed for over 400 yards. This will be an offensive shoot out.
The turnaround of both programs is certainly exciting for the SEC. The competition within the conference was evident throughout the season as top-ranked teams found themselves eliminated by their division rivals. While the SEC continues to flex its muscles, it might have eliminated itself right out of championship contention. The fall of Alabama comes the rise of FSU and Ohio State, meaning the winner Saturday might not get a shot at playing for the title, ending the SEC's BCS streak.