Unlike fellow SEC newbie Texas A&M, Missouri wasn’t up to the challenge of conference competition in 2012. The Tigers battled injury issues all season long, but more so than injuries was the issue of softness. This was a team that wasn’t particularly athletic, dangerous or well organized. For 2013, Missouri returns plenty of experience, but that calls into question the age-old dilemma of whether experienced middle-of-the-road players are a good thing or not. This could be Gary Pinkel’s last year in charge of the program, and he didn’t help his long-term prospects much when he signed the most disappointing recruiting class in the SEC in February, at least relative to expectations.