Missouri Football: Can the Tigers Prove Doubters Wrong. . . Again?

When media, coaches, and players assembled in Birmingham, Alabama for the 2015 SEC Media Days, they predicted the winner of the SEC Championship game as well as divisional winners. The top finishers in both the SEC East and West have been covered so far in this series, as has LSU.

Georgia (166), Auburn (108) and Alabama (92) ran away with the first place division votes. Tennessee (36) was far behind, but also fairly well ahead of most of the other teams in the SEC. The next closest team was Missouri (20). After Missouri, no team received more than 10 first place division votes (LSU).

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Missouri is the last team with any real chance at winning the SEC East in the eyes of the media. No other team in the East received more than 1 first place vote. While Missouri may feel disrespected with being picked third, it is actually a sign of growing respect. After Missouri won the SEC East for the first time in 2013, media members predicted Missouri would finish fourth. Now that the Tigers have won the division consecutively, the media at least placed them in the top 3 of the division. Progress is progress, no matter how slow.

Much like in 2014, there are pressing concerns for Missouri which likely give pause to media members considering them for the top spot in the East. After losing even more defensive line talent to the NFL, will there be yet another defensive end to fill the voids left by Michael Sam (2013) and Shane Ray (2014)? Missouri cannot possibly still have a stockpile of SEC Defensive Player of the Year candidates at defensive end…can they? Additionally, Maty Mauk returns for what feels like his 6^th year senior season at quarterback, but who exactly will he be throwing it to? Those are the two key questions. While losing Marcus Murphy hurts, senior running back Russell Hansbrough softens that blow tremendously.

It appears that Missouri’s season could go either way in 2015. While it seems like they are due for a drop-off, I am never willing to wager my money against a Gary Pinkel-led team.

What Needs to go Right . . .

After dropping 6 conference games in their inaugural SEC season, Missouri has managed to lose only 1 in back to back seasons. This has been good enough in both years to make the conference championship. They will need schedule help this year as well, as going undefeated is an unrealistic possibility. In addition to their SEC East slate,

Oct 18, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive lineman Shane Ray (56) prior to the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Missouri welcomes Alabama in 2014. The Alabama that thrashed Missouri in the 2014 SEC Championship Game. Missouri also draws Texas A&M from the SEC West. While not considered a threat to win the SEC West, A&M is the team least likely to be caught off guard when playing Mizzou given their BIG XII history. Missouri must also replace their entire starting rotation of wide receivers. This is the second straight year, as Mizzou has last 8 receivers over the course of the last two seasons. Missouri must also find someone to fill the shoes left by Shane Ray in 2014. Ray himself followed in the steps of Michael Sam. Yet another defensive end that can change games must step up in 2015 for Missouri to have a true chance at winning the SEC East for a third consecutive year. While it seems improbable, it also seemed unlikely in 2014 until it happened.

What Could go Wrong . . .

It is easier to see what could go wrong for Missouri in 2015 than it is to envision everything going correctly. This likely influenced the voters at SEC Media days to rank them third. Missouri could very conceivably drop both of their cross-divisional games in 2014. If they were to add in a loss to Georgia, Mizzou’s hope for a three-peat would essentially be over at that point. Another negative is the aforementioned receiving core. Losing 8 players from one position in 2 seasons is no joke, especially in a league as deep in the SEC. Add in the fact that the position is wide receiver, one that relies on depth as much as any other position on the field, and you have a recipe for disaster in 2015. While the quarterback, offensive line, and running back positions are settled and can lead Mizzou to respectability on offense, the Tigers’ spread attack must have an adequate level of play at wide receiver. That could mean trouble in 2015. Finally, the defensive end position is definitely a cause for concern. While two relatively unknown defensive ends (nationally) rose to fame and SEC accolades in consecutive years, that happening three years in a row is almost unfathomable. Then again. . . Alabama produces star running backs like they are a dime a dozen. Maybe Missouri is on its way to becoming D-End U. More likely than not, however, Mizzou’s run of dominance ignited from the defensive end position flames out in 2015. Without that dominant defensive front and a lack of star receivers to kindle comebacks, Mizzou could be dropped closer to its 2012 SEC experience rather than the success of the last two.

Worth Considering . . .

Missouri’s 2014 season is a candidate for the season containing the least common sense of any in college football from a year ago. The team lost to Indiana. Indiana. The Tigers lost to Indiana, yet won the SEC East. College football minds have forgotten this fact because it is nearly impossible to register as fact.

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Before the 2014 season began, Missouri was in a similar position. They lost a Co-Defensive Player of the Year in Michael Sam (Shane Ray in 2014) and their starting receivers. Media members and fans alike assumed Missouri’s 2013 season was a nice run that would end there. Instead, Missouri went 10-2 and won the division.

I cannot say that I see them repeating the magic yet again in 2015. What I can say, and have already said in this article, is I will never wager my money against a Gary Pinkel-led team. You could reasonably argue that Missouri will finish anywhere from 2^nd-5^th in the SEC East and be justified in doing so. As such, 3^rd is fair placing leading in to the 2015.

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