THE LATEST LINE: OPTIMISM RUNS HIGH AT SEMO, MISSOURI

Both football teams, coming off sub-.500 seasons, looking for big things.

I read with interest the other day a story by The Associated Press that covered the University of Missouri's annual football media day.

The comments from some of Mizzou's players were strikingly upbeat and optimistic.

No matter that the Tigers last had a winning season in 1983; no matter that they face a rugged schedule; and no matter that they went only 5-6 a year ago.

Those Tigers are supremely confident that they'll end those 13 years of futility and earn the school's first bowl trip since 1983.

Now fast-forward to Southeast Missouri State University's annual football media day, held Friday afternoon.

Like at Mizzou, the comments from SEMO's players were strikingly upbeat and optimistic.

No matter that the Indians have had only one winning season since moving to the NCAA Division I-A level in 1991; no matter that they have gone just 8-14 the past two years; and no matter that they went just 3-8 in '96.

These Indians are supremely confident that they'll be able to challenge for the Ohio Valley Conference title and start to turn SEMO into a Division I-AA juggernaut.

Ah, the beauty of the preseason. What took place at the media days of both Mizzou and SEMO is probably taking place at virtually every media day across the country as college football teams literally ooze confidence and optimism.

Of course, once the season is over, only some of those teams whose players bravely spoke of lofty expectations will have turned in winning records and highly successful seasons. Many more will have finished below -- and some well below -- .500.

But the neat thing about what took place in Columbia a few days ago and in Cape Girardeau on Friday is that, whey you really sit down and analyze both those football teams, there just might be cause for all of that optimism.

At Mizzou, the Tigers finished the '96 season with back-to-back victories for the first time since 1992 and they return 16 starters.

At SEMO, the Indians return 14 starters, but the bigger reason things are so upbeat is that the talent base has been significantly upgraded thanks to seven highly-touted Division I-A transfers and some key junior-college recruits.

Of course, as SEMO head coach John Mumford said the other day, "Talk is one thing. Doing it on the field is another."

Many other coaches across the country are probably saying the same thing.

As for the fans, all they can do is sit back, root for their teams and hope that all this preseason hype was actually well-founded and not just a bunch of starry-eyed college kids blowing smoke.

* Nothing becomes official until he actually starts classes on Aug. 25, which is why coaches can't make any comments, but former Charleston High basketball standout Jeramy Biles is expected to attend SEMO.

Biles had a standout freshman season at St. Louis University but decided not to return to school. If he does transfer to SEMO, as expected, Biles will have to sit out next season as a transfer but will then have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian