re: The SEC East was not Down Last Year.......

I think most people judge whether or not a division is "up" or "down" based on how the traditional powers in the division fare, not how the newcomers perform, especially if said newcomer takes advantage of said "down" traditional powers. That isn't to take away from what Missouri accomplished as much as it is to provide additional context to the division as whole. I don't think you can take one team and replace another and say "see? the division isn't down because we took one of their spots!"

UF has been in trouble since CUM left but last year was the first time since 1990 that they didn't even make a bowl appearance. UGA started the season ranked 5th and had a legitimate shot at the MNC before injuries to key players took us down. UTN is improving but has been "down" for the past several years. USCe has sort of replaced UTN as they have been 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in the division since 2010. So, the division tends to be defined by how "the big three" do or are expected to do.

I'm glad Mizzou isn't another Kentucky but having a year of success against teams that have been much better recently than they were (for whatever reasons) isn't a good indicator of whether or not the division is up or down, IMO.