In six games since Gary Pinkel became head coach, Mizzou has not beat Oklahoma. (Photo by JJ Stankevitz)

To be mentioned in the same breath as a national power like Oklahoma, all Gary Pinkel says a team has to do is beat Oklahoma.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

But in six tries, Pinkel’s Mizzou teams have not beat OU. Most of those losses haven’t been close, either—OU has won those six games against Mizzou by an average of 19 points.

The first meeting between Pinkel’s Mizzou and Bob Stoops’ OU squads came in 2002, with Mizzou losing its closest game against the Sooners under Pinkel by a score of 31-24 in Columbia. The following year, OU won handily by a score of 34-13 in Norman.

Oct. 28, 2006 was the last time OU played in Columbia, defeating Mizzou 26-10 in Chase Daniel’s sophomore year. That was followed by a 41-31 OU win at Gaylord Memorial Stadium in 2007, the first of two losses Mizzou suffered to OU that year. The second came after OU scored 24 of the final 27 points in the Big 12 Championship to down Mizzou 38-17.

And finally, Mizzou and OU last played in the 2008 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City, where Sam Bradford and the Sooners clobbered Mizzou 62-21.

So history isn’t on Pinkel and Mizzou’s side. But Pinkel acknowledged that when asked about OU on Monday:

Pinkel also addressed the notion that Mizzou needs to get off to a fast start to compete with OU, noting that his team wants to get everything going well right off the bat every week: