The Missouri Tigers will kick off one of the most anticipated seasons in program history with a journey up north.
Way up north.
The Tigers will open the season in Laramie, Wyoming, against the Cowboys.
While fans watching at home will be thinking about getting their first looks at Kelly Bryant and a stacked Mizzou offense, the players will have something else to think about as well; the altitude.
Wyoming's stadium sits at the highest elevation of any stadium in college football at 7,215 feet above sea level.
Barry Odom and the Missouri coaching staff has tried to prepare the team for the elements, without making it too much of a big deal.
"We've addressed it and talked about it. The first time we talked about it a few of our guys looked at me like, 'what's the big deal about altitude?'. So I went into a history lesson 101 on what altitude does to your body," Odom said. "Just like if we were stepping into a game that's 110 degrees we're going to talk about it. We talk about the environment. More than anything, our sports medicine and nutrition department reached out and did as many studies as they could on how to change our diets leading up to it. I know they post the elevation up there, and I would too, but the field is 100 yards long and 53 and a third yards wide, so we need to be aware of it, but not spend too much time on it."
"Well, we can't fly into the mountains and train them. I think it was Churchill who said, 'When you fight in the Nordic you have to train in the Nordic', but we can't do that," offensive coordinator Derek Dooley said. "We can't just take our team and train in the altitude for a week. But there are things you can do, hydration wise, taking care of you body, and just recognizing that probably n pregame you're probably going to breathe a little bit, it's just wind, and then we'll be fine. It's only a problem if you make it a problem."
While the Tigers said the game will eventually just come down to football, they are taking some steps with their hydration and nutrition to prepare their bodies.
Lots of beet juice has been involved. Beet juice helps blood vessels function at high altitudes and allows oxygen to move freely throughout the body.
"It feels like a little pain in your rib, and then it goes to the other one. It really comes down to mental toughness with that stuff," running back Larry Rountree said. "You can drink a lot of beet juice, but still at high altitude you're going to feel it regardless."
"I've already been on beet juice for like a year, so I'm used to it," quarterback Kelly Bryant said. "It's pretty much a natural taste for me now. It tastes like water now."
The Tigers will face off against Wyoming at 6:30 central time on Saturday, August 31.
Missouri is still waiting for a final decision from the NCAA on its postseason ban appeal.
