2017 Missouri Tigers are the most intriguing team to watch in the SEC
The Missouri Tigers have been a paradox since joining the SEC. Within its first three seasons, Mizzou owned the SEC East, and then fell back to earth.
In its first season, the Tigers looked like a fish-out-of-water in the SEC, finishing the 2012 season with only five wins; meanwhile, Texas A&M looked like it belonged in the SEC, enroll to a 11-2 record.
In 2013 and ’14, not only did Mizzou have back-to-back winning seasons, but it also won consecutive division crowns, before falling to Auburn and Alabama in the 2013 and 2014 SEC Championship games, respectively.
In 2015, Missouri’s record was a repeat of its inaugural season record, but the Tigers’ program experienced adversity, in the face of some ugly student protests, and the eventual resignation of former head football coach Gary Pinkel.
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The recent 2016 season was the worst on record since the Tigers joined the SEC. At 4-8, head coach Barry Odom will look to have the program turned around, and at the very least win enough games to be bowl eligible.
The reason Missouri is a paradox in 2017, is due to its depth and talent returning on offense, while the defense, could be good, or may be terrible.
That is, until we are able to see how the Tigers’ defense play in ’17, it could be no better than its previous season.
In past seasons, both offense and defense have been very good at times; the talent is there, but it hasn’t always transitioned very well on the field-of-play.
For the Tigers’ defense to be better than last year, it only needs to do better, which it showed a knack for at the tail-end of the season. I don’t think Mizzou’s defense will be as bad, or worse, than last year. For what it showed at the end of the season and in the spring game, it will improve.
Defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross has hinted at updating the Tigers’ D, which would bode well for a defense that will try to take the next step in becoming relevant.
On offense, the Tigers return a 1,000-yard rusher, a 1,000-yard receiver, and a quarterback who eclipsed 3,000 yards passing. So while the Tigers could be bad again this year, they may also be good.