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Missouri Tigers: SEC East Outlook

By cmroczka

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For the second consecutive season, the Missouri Tigers control their destiny in the wide-open SEC East. If the Tigers aren’t the new favorites to win the division following their upset victory over South Carolina, they certainly will be if they defeat Georgia in their next game on October 11th.

Yes, it’s only been one conference game and anything can happen in the long season, but the Tigers made a huge statement coming from behind on the road and appear to be grooving again. In order to get back to the Georgia Dome, the Tigers will need to get healthy again.

The lack of depth at wide receivers was a major concern for the Tigers in South Carolina and teams will continue to key in on the run if other receivers don’t start stepping up.

Bud Sasser proved to be a reliable target, but the absence of Jimmy Hunt and Darius White were almost too much to overcome as the passing game stalled for most of the night. The good news, the Tigers appeared to have fixed their offensive line woes. Conner McGovern looked much more comfortable back at guard and center Evan Boehm’s snaps were back to normal.

Yes, it’s only been one conference game and anything can happen in the long season, but the Tigers made a huge statement coming from behind on the road

The Tigers get an extra week of rest and preparation, which should be enough to get Hunt back and provide more practice reps for the new offensive line before they play four straight divisional foes followed by another bye week. Defensive end Markus Golden returned and made a few plays against the Gamecocks, but he still didn’t look 100 percent, this week of rest should help him return to speed as well.

Here’s how the division shakes down after five weeks of football:

Sep 27, 2014; Columbia, SC, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Marcus Murphy (6) runs against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Records: (Overall/SEC/Vs. Mizzou)

Missouri: (4-1, 1-0)

Florida: (2-1, 1-1) – Away – Oct. 18th

SCar: (3-2, 2-2) – Win – 21-20

Georgia: (3-1, 1-1) – Home – Oct. 11th

Kentucky: (3-1, 1-1) – Away – Nov. 1st

Tenn: (2-2, 0-1) – Away – Nov. 22th

Vandy: (1-4, 0-3) – Home – Oct. 25th

Keep in mind the Tigers also will play two opponents from the SEC West, those games are against Texas A&M (5-0, 2-0) on November 15th and Arkansas (3-2, 0-2) to finish out the season. SEC divisional championships are determined firstly by divisional records and then by conference records, so all the remaining games are important to the Tigers’ quest to repeat.

The Contenders

1. Georgia

All-American running back Todd Gurley and the Bulldogs are now the biggest threat to dethrone the Tigers. Despite already losing to South Carolina, the Bulldogs can really shake things up if they beat the Tigers when the two teams meet in Columbia. If the Tigers are able to secure the victory, Gary Pinkel’s team will have the upper hand above the two teams many experts picked to finish ahead of them.

2. South Carolina

Despite losing to Missouri, the Gamecocks are still in good position to be near the top of the division. Having already beat Georgia and Vanderbilt, it wouldn’t be shocking if the Gamecocks swept through the rest of the division with remaining games against Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida.

3. Florida

It’s hard to judge the Gators after only three games, but they appear to be better than last season’s injury-riddled squad. But how much better? After outlasting an improved Kentucky in three overtimes, the Gators were thoroughly outmatched by Alabama suffering a 42-21 defeat. The Gators still pose a tough defensive front, but their offense appears to be stuck in second gear. The Gators do get Missouri, Georgia, and South Carolina at home, so no point in counting them out just yet.

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    • The Rest:

    Both Tennessee and Kentucky look much different this year, and different isn’t necessarily worse. Butch Jones and Mark Stoops are building quality programs at each school, respectively, but they are still at least a year away from competing for SEC East titles.

    With both coaches dominating the recruiting trails, you’re starting to see the impact these young players can have on their programs, especially Tennessee freshmen running back Jalen Hurd. Either team can surprise of the contenders, though, college football is weird like that.

    The team with little to no chance of winning the SEC East appears to be Vanderbilt. With James Franklin bolting to Penn State after a 9-4 season in Nashville last year, former Stanford assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Derrick Mason was left to pick up the pieces and appears to be outmatched in his first season as a head coach. It’s too early to judge Mason based on these circumstances, but it won’t be easy for the Commodores to crawl out of the cellar once again.

    Predictions:

    Wins: Florida, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas

    Losses: Georgia, Texas A&M

    Final Record: 9-3, 6-2 SEC (1st or 2nd)

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