Ever since the Missouri Tigers Football team came back from Atlanta, talk about the back-to-back reigning SEC East Champions has been minimal.

On December 7, Gary Pinkel and his Tigers were told they would be headed to Orlando, Fl. to take on Minnesota in the 2014 Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on New Year's Day. Coming off of a tough loss to number one Alabama in the SEC Championship the week before, this is a great opportunity for the Tigers to bounce back and end the season with their third consecutive Bowl win.       

Just a short week after returning from Atlanta, Ga., the Tigers resumed practice in preparation for New Year's Day. Gary Pinkel explained that after a week off, his team was excited to get back on the field.   

“You know, it’s been a week since we played, so it’s a lot of enthusiasm for the kids too, they’re excited about it,” Pinkel said.  

With a couple players recovering from the last game, Pinkel believes everyone will be healthy and back to practicing soon.   

“You want to get your body back, but this is the fun part of the year,” explained QB Maty Mauk. “I mean, this is what you work for and it’s gonna be fun!”   

“The main thing for us is we want to come out here and have fun, but at the same time, get better,” said Mauk.   

The Golden Gophers of Minnesota finished this past season 8-4, 2nd in the western division of the Big Ten Conference. 2014 was yet another successful year for the Missouri Tiger Football team, and what better way to break in 2015 and the season ahead than a trip to Orlando with the chance to bring another title back to Columbia?