Last year was quite the Cinderella story for Missouri. After having losing records in 2015 and 2016, it seemed as if they were on that same path in the first half of season going 1-5 and losing their five games by 18, 32, 37, 6, and 25 points. But then came the turnaround of a life time as they won their next six games, winning by margins of 47, 40, 29, 33, 28, and 3 points. Was it against the most fierce competition? No, but it was the step that this team needed to make to fight their way back to the level of relevance they were once at. This team could actually find themselves in the race for the SEC East division title. Georgia has lost a lot of impact players from the year before, Florida hasn’t been relevant in about a decade, and South Carolina has definitely made strides but might not make that final step. The rest of the division isn’t a threat.
Things to watch
So what do expect from this years team? Well the Tigers have 17 returning starters including Terez Hall, Emanuel Hall, and of course Drew Lock. However, they did lose their OC Josh Heupel to UCF and replaced him with Derek Dooley. So the chemistry with Dooley and Lock will be a crucial point for this Missouri offense. They also have Texas transfer Jordan Elliot trying to help maintain that defensive line as three out of their four departures on defense was their defensive line.
Of course I would have to go into more depth about the big man on campus, Drew Lock. After a fantastic season he had last season, throwing for nearly 4000 yards and 43 touchdowns, the Heisman-hopeful looks to cap off his senior season with a bang. Not only could he be playing for an SEC championship appearance, or a Heisman trophy, he could be playing for the No.1 overall pick in this years NFL draft. Which means big money, and most would consider that to be a powerful motivator. So following him is must this season as we could another Sam Darnold where it seems that the pressure got to him by trying to do too much, or he could out there and just let it fly like the gun-slinger he is.
On the defensive side is really what inspired their turnaround last year as in the first six games they were allowing 42.2 points per game and were a -10 in turnover differential. While in the last six games they allowed only 21.3 points per game and were a +6 in turnover differential. If they can keep those kind of numbers defensively, along with their potent offense this could be a dangerous team.
Schedule
So what does their schedule look like? I am glad you asked that sir/miss.
| vs UT Martin |
| vs Wyoming |
| at Purdue |
| vs Georgia |
| at South Carolina |
| at Alabama |
| vs Memphis |
| vs Kentucky |
| as Florida |
| vs Vanderbilt |
| at Tennessee |
| vs Arkansas |
So as you can see they do have a very easy non-conference schedule as well as the benefit of playing in the SEC East, but they do have Bama which usually has negative effects even after playing…kind of like a hurricane.
Best/Worst Case
So what kind of record could they finish with?
Ceiling: 10-2
Wins: UT Martin, Wyoming, Purdue, South Carolina, Memphis, Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Arkansas
Losses: Georgia, Alabama
As stated before the East is kind of up in the air for at the very least 2nd place. Of course we expect Georgia and South Carolina to take the top two spots, but things hardly go as expected. Teams like Florida, Tennessee, and Arkansas are all coming off losing seasons as well as coaching changes so things might not go for them as well their fan bases expected. That along with their easy non-conference schedule Missouri only has three games they have to really be focused for which are South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia.
Floor: 5-7
Wins: UT Martin, Wyoming, Memphis, Vanderbilt, Arkansas
Losses: Purdue, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee
Again the SEC East kind of up for grabs and things hardly go as expected. There was a reason why Missouri went 4-8 in 2016 and started 1-5 in 2017. If the defense continues their lack of existence as they have in recent years, and Drew Lock goes through a rough patch like his did during their five game losing streak, it could be a long season for them.