The latest local news, weather and high school sports in and around Columbia and Jefferson City

The SEC East Champion Georgia Bulldogs and BCS title game participant Alabama Crimson Tide are coming to Columbia next season.

Missouri will open its first season as a member of the SEC with a home game against Georgia on Sept. 8. It will be just the second meeting between the two schools, with Georgia claiming a 14-0 win in the 1960 Orange Bowl.

After a non-conference home game against Arizona State on Sept. 15, Missouri will travel to South Carolina on Sept. 22 for its first SEC road game. The Tigers are 2-0 against the Gamecocks, with both victories coming in bowl games.

The Tigers play three SEC home games in October, welcoming Vanderbilt (Oct. 6), Alabama (Oct. 13) and Kentucky (Oct. 27). Vanderbilt will make its first appearance in Columbia since 1958. MU leads the all-time series 2-1-1. The Tigers are 2-1 against Alabama, which last played in Columbia in 1978. Kentucky will make its second trip to Columbia, with the first coming in 1965. The Wildcats own a 2-1 lead in the series.

Missouri will play three more SEC games in November, all on the road. The Tigers will visit Florida on Nov. 3. Missouri won the only meeting with the Gators, a 20-18 victory in the 1966 Orange Bowl. The Tigers will play at Tennessee on Nov. 10. It will be the first meeting between the schools.

The Tigers will close out their first SEC schedule on Nov. 24 at Texas A&M. Both schools are leaving the Big 12 to join the SEC in 2012. This will mark the third straight season the Tigers and Aggies will meet in College Station, Texas.

Missouri still has four open dates (Sept. 1, Sept. 29, Oct. 20 and Nov. 17) to schedule three non-conference games. Scheduled contests with Southern Illinois on Sept. 8 and Miami (OH) on Sept. 22 have been filled with SEC games.