Bowl Games 2011: Missouri and Teams That Will Win Before Switching Conferences

The specter of conference realignment is set to play out during the upcoming college football bowl season. With their previous affiliations already firmly in the rear view, expect these three teams to excite their future conferences with strong performances during the holidays.

Missouri

For better or worse, Missouri will join the SEC in the summer of 2012. For now, though, its results will count toward the Big 12's bowl results.

And those results should count rather positively. The Tigers have a ton of talent up and down their roster, led by sensational sophomore quarterback James Franklin, and went toe-to-toe with the likes of Oklahoma, Kansas State and Baylor in conference play.

Those competitive losses, along with strong wins over Texas and Texas A&M, should give Mizzou more than enough confidence to take care of North Carolina in the Independence Bowl.

What remains of that self-esteem after Year 1 in the SEC is up for debate. 

Texas A&M

The same goes for Texas A&M, which will make its questionable move out of Texas' shadow and into the equally long ones cast by the likes of Alabama, LSU, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.

Finding daylight won't be any easier for the Aggies with a new head coach, following the firing of Mike Sherman.

At least they can count on a positive end to a disappointing season when they meet Northwestern in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (what a mouthful that is!). Ryan Tannehill will bid college football adieu with a virtuoso performance while boosting his Aggies into the SEC with a winning record.

TCU

TCU will attempt to fill the void in the Big 12 left behind by Mizzou and A&M next season.

That will be no easy task for Gary Patterson's team, though at least now the Horned Frogs won't have to worry about winning their league to get into the BCS.

Of course, they won the Mountain West Conference this season and nearly snuck into the BCS with an automatic bid, even with two losses on their record. Instead, Casey Pachall and the Frogs will vent their frustrations on poor Louisiana Tech, champion of the Western Athletic Conference, in the Poinsettia Bowl.