Installment number five of wild blind dart-throwing predictions takes us out to the north edge of the Ozarks.
GAME 6, OCT 11: MISSOURI TIGERS
Coach: Eli Drinkwitz (38–24, SEC 22-20 thru five seasons at Miz) After his first three seasons of hovering around .500, Drink put together back-to-back double-digit win seasons with bowl wins for the first time since Gary Pinkel did it in 2013-2014. However, Eli faces a huge challenge of rebuilding an offense that lost their QB, top two rushers, and top two receivers. BTW, Pinkel went 5-7
and retired following the 2015 season. An omen?...
2024 Mizz record: 10-3 (5-3 SEC; T-4th; Music City Bowl win over Iowa)
CB 2024 Prediction: 10-2 - correctly predicted losses to TAMU and Alabama, but mistakenly picked the Tigers to top South Carolina.
Looking Back: Mizzou had a smooth start to 2024 reeling off four straight wins against two cupcakes, BC, and then Vandy - all within the friendly confines of Farout Field. Their first road game in Week 5 resulted in a 31-point rout at the hands of Texas A&M. Following two more wins, Alabama shut out the Tigers 34-0. Mizz beat Okie and lost at SC, and then took down MSU and Arky. MU capped the season with a Music City Bowl win over Iowa.
Returning Starters: 3 on offense, 6 on defense, placekicker.
Key Losses: OT Armand Membou (Round 1, Jets), WR Luther Burden (Round 2, Bears), OT Marcus Bryant (Round 7, Patriots), WR Theo Wease (grad), EDGE Johnny Walker (grad), G Cam’Ron Johnson (grad), QB Brady Cook (grad), top 2 leading rushers Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll (grad), DL Kristian Williams (grad), S Joseph Charleston (grad), leading tackler LB Corey Flagg (grad), punter & longsnapper (both grad), former 5-star DL Williams Nwaneri (Nebraska)
Top Returnees: WR/KR Marquis Johnson, LB Triston Newson, S Daylan Carnell (7 PBU), 1st team All-SEC OL Cayden Green, PK Blake Craig (24-34), S Marvin Burks, TE Brett Norfleet (235, 2 TD)
Top Newcomers: QB Beau Pribula (Penn State), EDGE Damon Wilson (UGA), WR Kevin Coleman (xfer Jackson State>Louisville>Mississippi State - 932 yds, 6 TD in 2024), Ahmad Hardy (ULM), WR Xavier Loyd (K-State>Illinois State), 2024 Freshman All-American LB Josiah Trotter (West Virginia), well-traveled S Jalen Catalon (Arkansas>Texas>UNLV), projected starting RG Dominick Giudice (Michigan)
Strengths: Several contributors back on defense... Linebackers... Experienced safeties... Special teams are good... Kicker is on the Lou Groza watch list (FWTW, #StillBitter)... Missing Texas, UGA, LSU, OM, Florida, and Tennessee, plus getting Bama, TAMU, and SC at home...
Weaknesses: Patchwork offensive line could be an issue... WR and RB are downgrades... Getting QB pressure... Corners are a concern... Finding a punter... Who is gonna QB?...
Outlook: Mizzou lost a ton of talent but also picked up some great additions through the transfer portal. Pribula from Penn State was a headline-grabber when Mizzy paid north of $1M for his signature. He was Drew Allar’s back-up for three seasons in Happy Valley. When the Lions’ starter delayed entry into the NFL Draft until 2026, Pribula famously left the team just before PSU’s playoff run. Although a splashy acquisition, reports have it that Prib has not exactly won the QB battle yet as RS-Jr Sam Horn has posed a challenge.
Regarding his signal-callers, Drinkwitz told the media after practice Saturday: “They’ve all done some really good things and some really dumb things.”
[SIDE NOTE: Horn awesomely wears jersey #21 and was recently drafted by the Dodgers in the 17th round.]
Running back Ahmad Hardy (1,351 yds, 13 TD) and wide receiver Xavier Loyd (912 yds, 6 TD) both put up big numbers last season, but it was for ULM and Illinois State respectively. Can these two reproduce that production at the SEC level? Mizz sure seems to be banking on that and their local beat reporters are lapping up the Kool-Aid. Hardy had 30 yards versus Texas and 60 yards against quit mode Auburn in November. Loyd had 4 receptions for 53 yards at Iowa.
The Tigers defense should be acceptable by SEC standards but not great. They were top 20 in scoring defense, passing defense, and total defense in 2024 (though behind several SEC teams in those categories). However, the rushing defense was 45th in FBS and may again be an issue this year.
Missouri Win Total Odds Per FanDuel
Over 6.5 -144 (bet $144 to win $100)
Under 6.5 -160 (bet $100 to win $160)
2025 MISSOURI TIGERS SCHEDULE:
Thu, Aug 28 vs Central Arkansas - W
Sat, Sep 6 vs Kansas - W - The Civil War!
Sat, Sep 13 vs Louisiana-Lafayette - W
Sat, Sep 20 vs South Carolina - W - It feels like SC will not be as good as everyone thinks.
Sat, Sep 27 vs UMass - W
Sat, Oct 11 vs Alabama - L - Mizzy will remember Bama’s late game goal line stand, but it won’t be enough to put them over the top.
Sat, Oct 18 @ Auburn - W - This could easily go the other way, but it feels like Aubie is in for a long season.
Sat, Oct 25 @ Vanderbilt - L - same as SC.
Sat, Nov 8 vs Texas A&M - L - It won’t be as easy this time, but Aggies prevail.
Sat, Nov 15 vs Mississippi State - W
Sat, Nov 22 @ Oklahoma - L
Sat, Nov 29 @ Arkansas - W - Pittman will be out on his arse and the Hogs will be in quit mode.
This will be Mizzou’s 14th season as a member of the SEC and it still feels like they are an outsider. An interloper. A bad fit. Because of this, perhaps there is a little more lack of respect for this football program. This team could get back to double-digit wins. They could also end up with a losing record. More likely, they finish the regular season 7-5.
2025 ALABAMA SCHEDULE PREVIEWS:
Sat, Aug 30 @ Florida State
Sat, Sep 6 vs UL Monroe
at, Sep 13 vs Wisconsin
Sat, Sep 27 @ Georgia
Sat, Oct 4 vs Vanderbilt
Sat, Oct 11 @ Missouri
Sat, Oct 18 vs Tennessee
Sat, Oct 25 @ South Carolina
Sat, Nov 8 vs LSU
Sat, Nov 15 vs Oklahoma
Sat, Nov 22 vs Eastern Illinois
Sat, Nov 29 @ Auburn
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