To build excitement for the upcoming season, I will be releasing an individual team preview for each of my top 25 teams every day from now until the season starts on Thursday night. I will start things of from the bottom with #25 Missouri.
2013 Review
2013 was a surprising season for Missouri, who more than exceeded expectations by going 11-1 and making the SEC championship game. Led by quarterback James Franklin, the Tigers opened the year 7-0 before losing in an overtime thriller with South Carolina. After the loss Missouri would rally and win their last four games to finish at 11-1 and get a shot at Auburn in the SEC championship game. Missouri would go on to lose that game to Auburn and then beat Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl.
Season Outlook
Missouri will face many tough tests in the SEC East this year. The non-conference play starts easy with a home game against South Dakota State in week one, but after that they have three solid opponents in Toledo, Central Florida, and Indiana. The Tigers should be favored in all of those first four games and I would expect them to win each and start 4-0. September 27 will be when the real test begins for Missouri, when they head to the other Columbia for a re-match of last years thriller against South Carolina. I think that South Carolina will take care of business at home and Missouri will drop to 4-1. After their first bye week of the season, the Tigers are back home against Georgia on October 11, immediately followed by a road trip to Gainesville to play Florida. Missouri should lose both of these games, dropping their record to 4-3 and 0-3 in SEC play. The competition should get a little easier from there as Missouri ends the season with games at home against Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and Arkansas, as well as road games against Texas A&M and Tennessee. I think that Missouri will win all of those games except their road game against Texas A&M.
Season Prediction
8-4 (4-4), fourth place in SEC East
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