MU ****Official 2013-14 Missouri Tiger Football Repository Thread**** - Page 84

'Hamas' Jenkins · 01:02 PM

We have two things to look forward to this year:

1) The potential beginning of the Maty Mauk Era. Mauk represents the best chance for this program to get back to a level of respectability after horrendous QB play cost us multiple games last year.

2) The last year of the Gary Pinkel era. Pinkel's entrenched cronyism won't play in a conference this competitive, especially if he couples his abysmal gameday coaching with lackadaisical, worst-in-conference recruiting. Pinkel was the formerly adequate meal that has now turned into a four pound bowel obstruction. It's time to jam a Fleet's enema up our collective asses.

Here is the schedule. We dodge Alabama, LSU, and Arkansas in the west and the Non-con is decidedly weaker than years past.

8/31: Murray State
9/7: Toledo
9/21: @ Indiana
9/28: Arkansas State
10/5:@ Vanderbilt
10/12: @ Georgia
10/19:Florida
10/26: South Carolina
11/2:Tennessee
11/9: @ Kentucky
11/23: @ Ole Miss
11/30: aTm

Looks like 6-6. Undefeated in non-con, 2-6 in league play.

I will eventually update the OP with a list of high profile in-state recruits that decide to go elsewhere after a half-assed attempt to gain their services. The inevitable cavalcade of *** rejects, skeezers, skanks, and scalliwags we get will fill out the ranks.

Razors, cyanide capsules, and Jonestown Kool-Aid are available in the break room. Second door on the left.

Since every Mizzou thread eventually dies of AIDS, I recommend starting anti-retroviral therapy immediately. I believe Walgreens covers Express Scripts.

Premium In-State Players:

Roderick Johnson: **** OT, Florissant, MO.
Monte Harrison: **** WR, Lee's Summit, MO.
Jimmy Swain: **** LB, Lee's Summit, MO

Commitment List: From

to

and possibly

Spoiler!

O.city · 10-08-2013, 07:56 PM

I don't see a defense in the sec that can stop MU outside of bama.

Even they've been suspect

Dr. Gigglepants · 10-09-2013, 07:01 AM

People loving them some Mizzou

Mizzou, Texas Tech, Houston are unlikely unbeatens

Missouri quarterback James Franklin passes against Vanderbilt in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

At this moment, Missouri has a better chance to play for the national championship than Georgia.

Being undefeated, even after only five games, has its advantages.

The newly 25th-ranked Tigers (5-0) play at No. 7 Georgia on Saturday, so the fun could be over soon for Missouri fans. But just short of the halfway mark of the season, the Tigers are among the 17 undefeated teams in major college football. No more than eight can finish that way.

So go ahead Missouri, think big. Same goes for you, No. 20 Texas Tech (5-0). Houston, too. The Cougars (4-0) are not only the sole unbeaten team that is unranked, but they didn't even receive a vote in the latest AP Top 25.

A look at the three most unlikely unbeatens and their chances to stay that way.

MISSOURI

You might be tempted to write off the fast start as a soft-schedule mirage for a team that went 5-7 last year, its first season in the Southeastern Conference. Not so fast. The Tigers have no marquee victories but they've played four decent teams (Toledo, Indiana, Arkansas State, Vanderbilt), two on the road, and won by a margin of 175-95. They also have the best running game in the SEC, with three backs (Russell Hansbrough, Henry Josey and Marcus Murphy) and quarterback James Franklin all having more than 250 yards rushing. An offensive line torn apart by injuries last season, is healthy and leading the way. And the defense has playmakers in cornerback E.J. Gaines and defensive end Michael Sam. If Missouri really is a contender in the SEC East, we'll know in three weeks. The Tigers next three games are at Georgia, home for Florida and home for South Carolina. At the very least, all the talk about coach Gary Pinkel being on the hot seat has been tabled.

TEXAS TECH

Kliff Kingsbury's return to Lubbock has revitalized the program much faster than most expected. The former Red Raiders quarterback has turned walk-on freshman Baker Mayfield into the latest star passer at Texas Tech. But we knew Kingsbury was an offensive whiz. The surprise is on the defensive side. Texas Tech is second in the Big 12 in yards allowed per play (4.50) and 16th in the nation. Defensive end Kerry Hyder and linebacker Will Smith have led the way. "The defense has really carried us," Kingsbury said. "Special teams has been a strong point. If the offense can get caught up, we'll feel pretty good." The Red Raiders can lock up bowl eligibility this week by beating Iowa State on homecoming. The rest of the conference slate is back-loaded, but then again the conference isn't looking all that tough beyond No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 15 Baylor.

HOUSTON

One of the new members of the American Athletic Conference, the Cougars have the most to prove of the unbeatens. Their best win came against a pretty good Rice team. But after a disappointing first season under coach Tony Levine, the Cougars have some confidence and a promising new quarterback. Freshman John O'Korn has thrown for 10 touchdowns, with only one interception. And despite the loss of star running back Charles Sims, who transferred after spring practice, the Cougars have the top running game in the American behind tailback Ryan Jackson. The Cougars face an improving — but still 1-3 — Memphis team at home on Saturday, and then come the real tests, starting with BYU at home. The schedule does the Cougars no favors with games against Rutgers, UCF and Louisville, all on the road.

___

HEISMAN WATCH: Now that October is here, the Heisman Trophy race can be talked about with some degree of seriousness. And there is a very real chance another freshman could win it.

Florida State's Jameis Winston, a redshirt freshman like Johnny Manziel was last year when he was the first freshman to win the Heisman, has been even better than advertised for the Seminoles. He is second in the nation in passer efficiency rating (213.9), with 17 touchdown passes and two interceptions. He is a bigger more mobile version of Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater.

The sixth-ranked Seminoles are off this week before playing at No. 3 Clemson on Oct. 19 in the biggest Atlantic Coast Conference game in recent memory. If Winston can keep up with Clemson quarterback and Heisman contender Tajh Boyd, he can practically book a trip to New York for the trophy ceremony in December.

___

QUICK HITS

— Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said he thought Stanford's defense was faking injuries to slow down the Huskies' no-huddle offense after Saturday's game. Cardinal players defended themselves on Twitter, but Sarkisian didn't back off Monday: "We saw what we saw, and I'm going to leave it at that."

— It's only speculation at this point, but former Kansas coach and current Liberty coach Turner Gill is a name that comes up a lot in connection to the Connecticut job. Before two terrible seasons at Kansas, Gill did a nice job at Buffalo working for current UConn AD Warde Manuel.

— Georgia tailback Todd Gurley (ankle) did not practice Monday. The Bulldogs have been beset by injuries, especially at receiver. Also, Gurley's star running mate, Keith Marshall (knee) is out for the season.

___

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME OF THE WEEK

Oregon State at Washington State. Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion leads the nation in total offense (390 ypg). Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday threw for 521 yards in last week's victory against California. Mike Leach's Cougars (4-2) have nothing but tough games left. If they want to get to bow-eligibility, they will need to beat the Beavers at home.

kchero · 10-09-2013, 08:25 AM

Realistically, If we can squeeze 2 out of the next 3 we can really have a shot in the east.

Dr. Gigglepants · 10-09-2013, 09:11 AM

I just wish we could predict which Mizzou team is going to show up on Saturday. If it's the Mizzou that crushed Vandy, we should have better than 50% chance at winning. If our offense moves the ball like that it will be very tough for GA to keep up.

If its the Arky St team that shows up, where our defense wants the other team to tackle themselves, it could get ugly.

I think this is going to be a good game and I can't wait.

_________________________________________________________________

Missouri Football: Surprise Team or No?

Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

The SEC's "surprise" team should have been anything but.

The SEC only has two undefeated teams left. Alabama being one of them is no surprise. That Missouri is the other seems to be catching a lot of people off guard, but it shouldn't.

The fact that MU is the only conference team besides the Tide with a blemish-free record is a reflection of two larger points. One is that the SEC has spread some of its bigger games towards the front half of the schedule. Of the five losses among the three favorites in each division—Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida in the East, and Alabama, LSU, and Texas A&M in the West—three of them come from within that group. The other two come courtesy of Florida, which derped away its game at Miami (FL), and Georgia, which lost to a top-five Clemson outfit. Bama is the only one of the six to come this far with a zero in the loss column, but only the Gators have something to feel bad about there among the rest.

If you're surprised that Missouri is still undefeated, I can only conclude one or both of two things. Firstly, you probably didn't look at the Tigers' schedule. The first four games on it were non-conference games with the toughest game being a trip to Indiana. The Hoosiers are maybe a marginal bowl team with a loss to Navy. The road hasn't been terribly bumpy.

The other conclusion is that you thought that Vanderbilt would beat Mizzou. It's hard to fault folks too much for that; Vandy won in Columbia last year, after all. However, you probably shouldn't have been thinking that by the time last weekend rolled around. The injury bug bit the Tigers terribly last year, but it hasn't this year. Meanwhile, Vandy is on a scheduled down year. Again, picking VU to win that one wasn't insane, but it became less and less of a good pick as we got closer to it.

Long story short, it couldn't have been that hard to pick the Tigers to go 5-0 because I did it. Now comes the hard part: a brutal stretch of going to Georgia and hosting Florida and South Carolina in consecutive weeks with no bye.

Despite playing no one all that good in the first four weeks, Missouri's defensive S&P+ rated just 42nd in that span (the figures haven't been updated to include the 10/5 games at time of posting). In comparison, Georgia's much maligned defense rates 26th in these opponent-adjusted ratings. The sample size is still too small to make firm judgments, but it doesn't appear that the defense is as efficient as the 28th-rated Mizzou offense is.

And that's the thing of it. Missouri is behind those three upcoming opponents in both offensive and defensive S&P+, save its offense being ahead of Florida's offense. Even so, its defense is miles behind Florida's defense. Missouri is a solidly good team, but it probably should end up no better than fourth in the division depending on variables like how many more injuries Georgia sustains.

Is following a course for fourth in the East really uncharted waters for Missouri? The Tigers were one of the better Big 12 programs over their last half decade in that conference. There was no reason to think that last year's bad injury luck and stiff schedule set a reasonable baseline at five wins.

A lot of folks down this way were really down on Mizzou after 2012 because of the narrative that arose during expansion. Missouri isn't a "real" SEC school. If they can't win the Big 12, they won't win the SEC. They don't know what they've gotten themselves into. They're in over their heads. Then, after last season, people added the idea that Gary Pinkel was close to being fired.

Welcome back to reality. Missouri isn't a bad program. Pinkel isn't a bad coach. It won't take MU as long to reach Atlanta as it took South Carolina to do so, and it'll get there long before at least a half dozen SEC schools go there next.

The Tigers were largely ignored in the offseason, and you can see it in how many people didn't know the schedule and are acting like 5-0 is some big shock. It's not. I am not putting the Tigers in the top tier of the East on a track for the SEC Championship Game just yet, but it wouldn't surprise me if they simply outscored Georgia this weekend (particularly if Todd Gurley can't go).

If Missouri is a surprise team so far in 2013, it's the least surprising one ever.

duncan_idaho · 10-09-2013, 09:55 AM

CFB Outsiders has updated its info on S&P+ data.

Missouri ranks 22nd in offense and 24th on defense

Georgia is 12th and 21st

Florida is 69th and 1st

South Carolina is 26th and 22nd

Not quite as lopsided as at the time that article was written.

Based on that, you can't really make the case for much difference between the defenses of Missouri, Georgia and South Carolina.

Missouri's offense is very similar to South Carolina's and much, much, much better than Florida's. Having both those schools at home could be a big factor for the Tigers, assuming all teams stay healthy from this point forward.

Georgia's offense is better than Missouri's but probably evened out by the injuries. Georgia still is the favorite - homefield advantage, great QB - but it likely will be a much closer game than these numbers might suggest.

Florida game will likely be a defensive struggle unless Florida's offense has found something with Murphy.

I think the most likely outcome is Missouri goes 1-2 in these three game, but honestly wouldn't be surprised by any outcome (0-3, 2-1, 3-0 all possible).

Pitt Gorilla · 10-09-2013, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

CFB Outsiders has updated its info on S&P+ data.

Missouri ranks 22nd in offense and 24th on defense

Georgia is 12th and 21st

Florida is 69th and 1st

South Carolina is 26th and 22nd

Not quite as lopsided as at the time that article was written.

Based on that, you can't really make the case for much difference between the defenses of Missouri, Georgia and South Carolina.

Missouri's offense is very similar to South Carolina's and much, much, much better than Florida's. Having both those schools at home could be a big factor for the Tigers, assuming all teams stay healthy from this point forward.

Georgia's offense is better than Missouri's but probably evened out by the injuries. Georgia still is the favorite - homefield advantage, great QB - but it likely will be a much closer game than these numbers might suggest.

Florida game will likely be a defensive struggle unless Florida's offense has found something with Murphy.

I think the most likely outcome is Missouri goes 1-2 in these three game, but honestly wouldn't be surprised by any outcome (0-3, 2-1, 3-0 all possible).

If the Georgia game was in Columbia, I'd feel much better about it.

Pepe Silvia · 10-09-2013, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by O.city

I don't see a defense in the sec that can stop MU outside of bama.

Even they've been suspect

I know Georgia has given up a lot of points but for some reason any time we play a line with any kind of size we get shut down. I still think we put up points but our line has trouble protecting Franklin against decent teams. Its a new year so I'm hoping for the best.

duncan_idaho · 10-09-2013, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PackerinMo

I know Georgia has given up a lot of points but for some reason any time we play a line with any kind of size we get shut down. I still think we put up points but our line has trouble protecting Franklin against decent teams. Its a new year so I'm hoping for the best.

Don't think you can read TOO much into the protection issues a season ago, when Evan Boehm - a true freshman - was the only guy who made it through the season unscathed, three members of the two-deep suffered season ending injuries, and the rest of the players were walking wounded.

Pepe Silvia · 10-09-2013, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Don't think you can read TOO much into the protection issues a season ago, when Evan Boehm - a true freshman - was the only guy who made it through the season unscathed, three members of the two-deep suffered season ending injuries, and the rest of the players were walking wounded.

Its not just last year, we always had trouble in the trenches against Oklahoma and Texas as well. I agree the depth on the line is better this year though.

duncan_idaho · 10-09-2013, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PackerinMo

Its not just last year, we always had trouble in the trenches against Oklahoma and Texas as well. I agree the depth on the line is better this year though.

Missouri made pretty big strides in those areas in 2010 and 2011, beating Oklahoma and Texas and dominating both games in the trenches.

Frazod · 10-09-2013, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Missouri made pretty big strides in those areas in 2010 and 2011, beating Oklahoma and Texas and dominating both games in the trenches.

I see you've set your memory switch to "selective."

DJ's left nut · 10-09-2013, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Missouri made pretty big strides in those areas in 2010 and 2011, beating Oklahoma and Texas and dominating both games in the trenches.

I don't remember 'dominating' in the trenches.

I do, however, recall us being a hell of a lot more credible once we narrowed the splits a little bit. It coincided nicely with the rise of our running game as well.

I think we have more talent there than we're given credit for, but I also think it's folly to underestimate just how strong SEC defensive fronts are. They don't mess around up front down there.

duncan_idaho · 10-09-2013, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frazod

I see you've set your memory switch to "selective."

In those games? Not at all.

They dominated OU's front in 2010. And won the battle up front against a great Texas defense in 2011.

OL was awful last year, but I think the injuries had more to do with that than anything else.

Frazod · 10-09-2013, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

In those games? Not at all.

They dominated OU's front in 2010. And won the battle up front against a great Texas defense in 2011.

OL was awful last year, but I think the injuries had more to do with that than anything else.

Sure they played well against Oklahoma.

Then looked like the ****ing Jayhawks against Nebraska the following week.

Pepe Silvia · 10-09-2013, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I don't remember 'dominating' in the trenches.

I do, however, recall us being a hell of a lot more credible once we narrowed the splits a little bit. It coincided nicely with the rise of our running game as well.

I think we have more talent there than we're given credit for, but I also think it's folly to underestimate just how strong SEC defensive fronts are. They don't mess around up front down there.

Precisely!

10-08-2013, 07:56 PM	#1246
O.city In Search of a Life Join Date: Jul 2009 Casino cash: $2764064	I don't see a defense in the sec that can stop MU outside of bama. Even they've been suspect
Posts: 81,234

10-09-2013, 07:01 AM	#1247
Dr. Gigglepants Veteran Join Date: Apr 2011 Casino cash: $2342400	People loving them some Mizzou Mizzou, Texas Tech, Houston are unlikely unbeatens Missouri quarterback James Franklin passes against Vanderbilt in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) At this moment, Missouri has a better chance to play for the national championship than Georgia. Being undefeated, even after only five games, has its advantages. The newly 25th-ranked Tigers (5-0) play at No. 7 Georgia on Saturday, so the fun could be over soon for Missouri fans. But just short of the halfway mark of the season, the Tigers are among the 17 undefeated teams in major college football. No more than eight can finish that way. So go ahead Missouri, think big. Same goes for you, No. 20 Texas Tech (5-0). Houston, too. The Cougars (4-0) are not only the sole unbeaten team that is unranked, but they didn't even receive a vote in the latest AP Top 25. A look at the three most unlikely unbeatens and their chances to stay that way. MISSOURI You might be tempted to write off the fast start as a soft-schedule mirage for a team that went 5-7 last year, its first season in the Southeastern Conference. Not so fast. The Tigers have no marquee victories but they've played four decent teams (Toledo, Indiana, Arkansas State, Vanderbilt), two on the road, and won by a margin of 175-95. They also have the best running game in the SEC, with three backs (Russell Hansbrough, Henry Josey and Marcus Murphy) and quarterback James Franklin all having more than 250 yards rushing. An offensive line torn apart by injuries last season, is healthy and leading the way. And the defense has playmakers in cornerback E.J. Gaines and defensive end Michael Sam. If Missouri really is a contender in the SEC East, we'll know in three weeks. The Tigers next three games are at Georgia, home for Florida and home for South Carolina. At the very least, all the talk about coach Gary Pinkel being on the hot seat has been tabled. TEXAS TECH Kliff Kingsbury's return to Lubbock has revitalized the program much faster than most expected. The former Red Raiders quarterback has turned walk-on freshman Baker Mayfield into the latest star passer at Texas Tech. But we knew Kingsbury was an offensive whiz. The surprise is on the defensive side. Texas Tech is second in the Big 12 in yards allowed per play (4.50) and 16th in the nation. Defensive end Kerry Hyder and linebacker Will Smith have led the way. "The defense has really carried us," Kingsbury said. "Special teams has been a strong point. If the offense can get caught up, we'll feel pretty good." The Red Raiders can lock up bowl eligibility this week by beating Iowa State on homecoming. The rest of the conference slate is back-loaded, but then again the conference isn't looking all that tough beyond No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 15 Baylor. HOUSTON One of the new members of the American Athletic Conference, the Cougars have the most to prove of the unbeatens. Their best win came against a pretty good Rice team. But after a disappointing first season under coach Tony Levine, the Cougars have some confidence and a promising new quarterback. Freshman John O'Korn has thrown for 10 touchdowns, with only one interception. And despite the loss of star running back Charles Sims, who transferred after spring practice, the Cougars have the top running game in the American behind tailback Ryan Jackson. The Cougars face an improving — but still 1-3 — Memphis team at home on Saturday, and then come the real tests, starting with BYU at home. The schedule does the Cougars no favors with games against Rutgers, UCF and Louisville, all on the road. ___ HEISMAN WATCH: Now that October is here, the Heisman Trophy race can be talked about with some degree of seriousness. And there is a very real chance another freshman could win it. Florida State's Jameis Winston, a redshirt freshman like Johnny Manziel was last year when he was the first freshman to win the Heisman, has been even better than advertised for the Seminoles. He is second in the nation in passer efficiency rating (213.9), with 17 touchdown passes and two interceptions. He is a bigger more mobile version of Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater. The sixth-ranked Seminoles are off this week before playing at No. 3 Clemson on Oct. 19 in the biggest Atlantic Coast Conference game in recent memory. If Winston can keep up with Clemson quarterback and Heisman contender Tajh Boyd, he can practically book a trip to New York for the trophy ceremony in December. ___ QUICK HITS — Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said he thought Stanford's defense was faking injuries to slow down the Huskies' no-huddle offense after Saturday's game. Cardinal players defended themselves on Twitter, but Sarkisian didn't back off Monday: "We saw what we saw, and I'm going to leave it at that." — It's only speculation at this point, but former Kansas coach and current Liberty coach Turner Gill is a name that comes up a lot in connection to the Connecticut job. Before two terrible seasons at Kansas, Gill did a nice job at Buffalo working for current UConn AD Warde Manuel. — Georgia tailback Todd Gurley (ankle) did not practice Monday. The Bulldogs have been beset by injuries, especially at receiver. Also, Gurley's star running mate, Keith Marshall (knee) is out for the season. ___ UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME OF THE WEEK Oregon State at Washington State. Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion leads the nation in total offense (390 ypg). Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday threw for 521 yards in last week's victory against California. Mike Leach's Cougars (4-2) have nothing but tough games left. If they want to get to bow-eligibility, they will need to beat the Beavers at home.
Posts: 1,387

10-09-2013, 08:25 AM	#1248
kchero Veteran Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Casino cash: $9978240	Realistically, If we can squeeze 2 out of the next 3 we can really have a shot in the east.
Posts: 1,731

10-09-2013, 09:11 AM	#1249
Dr. Gigglepants Veteran Join Date: Apr 2011 Casino cash: $2342400	I just wish we could predict which Mizzou team is going to show up on Saturday. If it's the Mizzou that crushed Vandy, we should have better than 50% chance at winning. If our offense moves the ball like that it will be very tough for GA to keep up. If its the Arky St team that shows up, where our defense wants the other team to tackle themselves, it could get ugly. I think this is going to be a good game and I can't wait. _________________________________________________________________ Missouri Football: Surprise Team or No? Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports The SEC's "surprise" team should have been anything but. The SEC only has two undefeated teams left. Alabama being one of them is no surprise. That Missouri is the other seems to be catching a lot of people off guard, but it shouldn't. The fact that MU is the only conference team besides the Tide with a blemish-free record is a reflection of two larger points. One is that the SEC has spread some of its bigger games towards the front half of the schedule. Of the five losses among the three favorites in each division—Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida in the East, and Alabama, LSU, and Texas A&M in the West—three of them come from within that group. The other two come courtesy of Florida, which derped away its game at Miami (FL), and Georgia, which lost to a top-five Clemson outfit. Bama is the only one of the six to come this far with a zero in the loss column, but only the Gators have something to feel bad about there among the rest. If you're surprised that Missouri is still undefeated, I can only conclude one or both of two things. Firstly, you probably didn't look at the Tigers' schedule. The first four games on it were non-conference games with the toughest game being a trip to Indiana. The Hoosiers are maybe a marginal bowl team with a loss to Navy. The road hasn't been terribly bumpy. The other conclusion is that you thought that Vanderbilt would beat Mizzou. It's hard to fault folks too much for that; Vandy won in Columbia last year, after all. However, you probably shouldn't have been thinking that by the time last weekend rolled around. The injury bug bit the Tigers terribly last year, but it hasn't this year. Meanwhile, Vandy is on a scheduled down year. Again, picking VU to win that one wasn't insane, but it became less and less of a good pick as we got closer to it. Long story short, it couldn't have been that hard to pick the Tigers to go 5-0 because I did it. Now comes the hard part: a brutal stretch of going to Georgia and hosting Florida and South Carolina in consecutive weeks with no bye. Despite playing no one all that good in the first four weeks, Missouri's defensive S&P+ rated just 42nd in that span (the figures haven't been updated to include the 10/5 games at time of posting). In comparison, Georgia's much maligned defense rates 26th in these opponent-adjusted ratings. The sample size is still too small to make firm judgments, but it doesn't appear that the defense is as efficient as the 28th-rated Mizzou offense is. And that's the thing of it. Missouri is behind those three upcoming opponents in both offensive and defensive S&P+, save its offense being ahead of Florida's offense. Even so, its defense is miles behind Florida's defense. Missouri is a solidly good team, but it probably should end up no better than fourth in the division depending on variables like how many more injuries Georgia sustains. Is following a course for fourth in the East really uncharted waters for Missouri? The Tigers were one of the better Big 12 programs over their last half decade in that conference. There was no reason to think that last year's bad injury luck and stiff schedule set a reasonable baseline at five wins. A lot of folks down this way were really down on Mizzou after 2012 because of the narrative that arose during expansion. Missouri isn't a "real" SEC school. If they can't win the Big 12, they won't win the SEC. They don't know what they've gotten themselves into. They're in over their heads. Then, after last season, people added the idea that Gary Pinkel was close to being fired. Welcome back to reality. Missouri isn't a bad program. Pinkel isn't a bad coach. It won't take MU as long to reach Atlanta as it took South Carolina to do so, and it'll get there long before at least a half dozen SEC schools go there next. The Tigers were largely ignored in the offseason, and you can see it in how many people didn't know the schedule and are acting like 5-0 is some big shock. It's not. I am not putting the Tigers in the top tier of the East on a track for the SEC Championship Game just yet, but it wouldn't surprise me if they simply outscored Georgia this weekend (particularly if Todd Gurley can't go). If Missouri is a surprise team so far in 2013, it's the least surprising one ever.
Posts: 1,387

10-09-2013, 09:55 AM	#1250
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $1770308	CFB Outsiders has updated its info on S&P+ data. Missouri ranks 22nd in offense and 24th on defense Georgia is 12th and 21st Florida is 69th and 1st South Carolina is 26th and 22nd Not quite as lopsided as at the time that article was written. Based on that, you can't really make the case for much difference between the defenses of Missouri, Georgia and South Carolina. Missouri's offense is very similar to South Carolina's and much, much, much better than Florida's. Having both those schools at home could be a big factor for the Tigers, assuming all teams stay healthy from this point forward. Georgia's offense is better than Missouri's but probably evened out by the injuries. Georgia still is the favorite - homefield advantage, great QB - but it likely will be a much closer game than these numbers might suggest. Florida game will likely be a defensive struggle unless Florida's offense has found something with Murphy. I think the most likely outcome is Missouri goes 1-2 in these three game, but honestly wouldn't be surprised by any outcome (0-3, 2-1, 3-0 all possible). __________________ "You gotta love livin', cause dying is a pain in the ass." ---- Sinatra
Posts: 21,084