Missouri's BCS dream shrinks a size - like Cotton

SAN ANTONIO -- The national title hopes are over. The lopsided loss in the Big 12 championship still stings. And Missouri's consolation prize:~ The former No. 1 Tigers fall to seventh in AP poll, settle for Cotton Bowl.

a New Year's Day bowl game right back in Texas.

The Tigers (11-2) returned home Sunday to learn their bowl fate after Saturday night's nationally televised 38-17 loss to Oklahoma. Their Cotton Bowl opponent is No. 25 Arkansas (8-4).

The Sooners' successful defense of the conference title ensured that an appearance in the Jan. 7 Bowl Championship Series title game in New Orleans was beyond the reach of Missouri, gone with the previous week's No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press and BCS polls. Oklahoma moved up to No. 3 in the new AP poll.

Missouri, now ranked seventh in the AP poll, hopes its next trip to the Lone Star State -- this time to Dallas -- will be more memorable than an Alamodome defeat that will take a long time to get over.

"It's heartbreaking to come up short," wide receiver Tommy Saunders said after the game.

"We had a great season, but nobody's thinking about that right now," defensive tackle Lorenzo Williams added after the loss. "Everybody's thinking about what slipped through our hands."

Now it's Missouri coach Gary Pinkel's job to get the team looking ahead to the its first New Year's Day contest since the 1969 Orange Bowl.

The bowl appearance will be Missouri's fourth in the past five years, capping one of the best seasons in school history.

"I would like to think if you're 11-2 it's somewhat of a success," Pinkel said. "We'll get over this [loss] and learn from it and be a better football team like we've done in the past."

Quarterback Chase Daniel said that while it's tough to see two teams the Tigers beat -- Kansas and Illinois -- go to a BCS game while his team misses out, being in the Cotton Bowl in a Jan. 1 game is a big deal for Missouri.

"It's disappointing, but like Coach Pinkel said, we can't focus on that," he said. "We've got to focus on taking the next couple of weeks off and preparing as well as we can to beat Arkansas and finish this year up winning 12 games. That's pretty special."

The Cotton Bowl will be a rematch of the 2003 Independence Bowl, won by Arkansas 27-13. Only this time, Razorbacks coach Houston Nutt won't be on the sideline opposite Pinkel.

Nutt resigned from Arkansas last week. Hours later, he agreed to become the coach of Southeastern Conference rival Mississippi, which had fired Ed Orgeron. Arkansas defensive coordinator Reggie Herring will coach the team on an interim basis, including the bowl game.

The Jan. 1 contest will match two of the country's top offensive talents: Missouri's Daniel, the Big 12 offensive player of the year, and Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, the SEC's all-time leading rusher and the 2006 Heisman Trophy runner-up.

"When I thought about playing Arkansas, that was the first thing that came up in my head," Pinkel said of McFadden. "He's a great player, obviously one of the great players in the country. Certainly, he'll be a great challenge for us."

Daniel and McFadden, both juniors, were considered among the top contenders for the 2007 Heisman before Saturday's game. But faced with a relentless Oklahoma defense, Daniel hurt his cause, throwing for just 219 yards, no touchdowns and a pivotal interception by Sooner linebacker Curtis Lofton.

For the first time this season, Daniel didn't throw a touchdown. It also was the first time Missouri failed to score at least 30 points.

Daniel and McFadden will learn Wednesday if they are among the five finalists invited to New York for the Dec. 8 Heisman Trophy ceremony. Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Hawaii QB Colt Brennan are among the other leading contenders.