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1) The Cotton Bowl is the most exciting Mizzou bowl game of my lifetime. Nothing else is close. To me, bowl games are all about novelty and opportunity. I want Missouri to play a team that it doesn't play very often and you want to play somebody who, if you beat them, will give you a lot of positive publicity and national buzz. Both boxes checked with Ohio State as the opposition in the Cotton Bowl.
Don't get me wrong, getting to this type of a game is big. If it had been Penn State that would have been cool, but the Nittany Lions are a cut below the nationally elite. Really good, not elite (they're going to put that line on James Franklin's headstone some day). Liberty, like it or not, would have been a huge letdown. That's not the type of opponent you see as a reward after a season like the one Mizzou has had. Texas and Oklahoma would have gotten you national credit, but we've all seen that game quite a few times. The only two possibilities that existed to check both boxes for the Tigers were Ohio State and Oregon. And the Tigers got one of them.
There is no downside to this game for Missouri. Lose and you're supposed to lose. Win and you get massive amounts of credit and finish 6th or 7th in the country (the four teams in the playoff will be ranked ahead of Mizzou in the final poll as will the winner of the Orange Bowl between Georgia and Florida State. The Tigers would pass OSU with a win and might pass Oregon). It's in a location that's easy to get to, it's a game that treats the fans unbelievably well, it's a standalone game in prime time.
As a bonus, it brings back memories for some of us old guys. The last time Missouri played Ohio State in football I had just graduated and was still working at KOMU. I covered the game in Columbus. Carlos Posey had a scoop and score to give Mizzou a 14-13 lead (that Missouri team led every game at halftime, but lost four times, all to top ten teams). But the preseason No. 1 Buckeyes got 209 yards rushing from Michael Wiley and 112 receiving from David Boston (still don't know how that dude wasn't a superstar in the NFL) and ran away 35-14 in the second half. I met Keith Jackson before that game. During pregame I was standing on the sidelines at the Horseshoe and had never been in a place so loud with so many people. The year before, I watched one of the two most memorable hits I've ever witnessed on a football field (head nod, Steve Atwater) when the teams played in Columbia.
The other two times Mizzou went to the Cotton Bowl it played teams that just didn't have this cache. Ohio State is one of the biggest brands in college football. If you're listing off the best programs, no fan of the sport could get beyond five before naming OSU. Most bowl games, I don't particularly look forward to anymore. This one is gonna be fun. @JHamilton23 is headed to Dallas early the morning after Christmas and will have coverage on location all week.
2) Bowl games are largely about motivation and how much the teams want to be there. Edge Mizzou in that regard. The Tigers said yesterday that everybody is planning to play (with the exception of Chad Bailey, who's out for the year with an injury, and possibly Ennis Rakestraw, who is trying to come back from one; if there's one game that will motivate him to get on the field, it's one in his home town). When asked about opting out, Darius Robinson said it's something that crosses everyone's mind but he didn't consider sitting this one out: "Not for one second." Cody Schrader called it "a legacy game" for Missouri's seniors. Eli Drinkwitz said even players who have entered the portal will have the option to make the trip and play in the game. So we're expecting it to be all healthy hands on deck for the Tigers.
For Ohio State? Not so much. It's hard to imagine Marvin Harrison Jr. playing for the Buckeyes. Emeka Egbuka and Cade Stover are likely high picks and might not. Running back TreVeyon Henderson is anybody's guess. Star defensive lineman JT Tuimoloau is an opt out candidate. There are probably others. Oh, by the way, OSU's staring quarterback Kyle McCord entered the transfer portal this morning. That leaves sophomore Devyn Brown (12-22 for 197 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT this season) as the presumed starter.
Some may be disappointed that Mizzou isn't going to play OSU's varsity. Personally, I say you take any edge you can get. If you win, sure, there might be a few that don't give you quite the same amount of credit because you didn't beat the Buckeyes' front line. But it's not like the guys behind them suck. In the last four recruiting cycles, the Buckeyes have signed 12 five-stars, 62 four-stars and have an average class rank of 3.75. Nobody's crying for Ryan Day's lack of available talent. In a month, all anybody outside of Columbus would remember is that Missouri beat Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
3) Speaking of the transfer portal, it's now officially open for the next 30 days. Buckle up. Here's what to expect.
We'll keep track of all the relevant Mizzou movement here.
So far, the Tigers haven't lost anyone that comes as much of a surprise. Dameon Wilson is the most influential portal entry and he played 45 defensive snaps this season. We expect another 5-10 transfers out in all likelihood. That number could be a little higher. Most of them will be similar to the ones so far in that they'll come from guys who haven't played much or at all who are hoping to play more. There could be a head-turning transfer or two that surprises Missouri fans. You can never rule that out and every player that chooses to look elsewhere has his own reasons. So we'll be on full alert for the next few days and then again in the days after the bowl game (Mizzou plays on Dec 29 and the portal closes January 2).
As far as transfers in, Clemson cornerback Toriano Pride is in the center of our radar. He announced his intention to transfer late last week and we have reason to believe Mizzou will be a leader whenever that becomes official. The Tigers will take at least one corner, maybe two, a linebacker, a couple of offensive and defensive linemen and a running back or two. They also might look for a safety and a wide receiver depending on what's available and who leaves. Pride is the only name that's out there for sure publicly at this point. But we expect some other pretty big names to hit the portal this week and we'll keep you informed on the guys you need to be following closely when those guys do become officially available.
4) Outside of the portal, everybody wants to know who else won't be back for the Tigers. None of this will become official until after the bowl game and can always change, but here's my read on guys that seem to be in question right now:
Jake Garcia and Sam Horn: It wouldn't be a shock if one or both left. Neither is likely to start next season. But as of last week, the feeling was that Missouri's QB room would stay intact.
Mookie Cooper and Theo Wease: Wease is going to get feedback from the draft board. His decision will likely be dependent on that feedback. It's probably the most 50/50 decision there is. Before senior day, it didn't cross my mind that Cooper wouldn't return. But he went through senior day and there seems to be some talk that this could be his last game. Whether that means he is ready to move on from football or he might look for a place he could catch more balls, I don't know. And I don't get the sense that this is anything that's been decided. He very well could be back. But it's on the radar.
Kristian Williams didn't walk on senior day and we fully expect him to announce that he's coming back for another year. Same for Chuck Hicks.
Ty'Ron Hopper and Kris Abrams-Draine are pretty much gone. I expect them to play in the bowl game, but would expect an announcement they're headed to the NFL shortly thereafter. I expect Ennis Rakestraw and Harrison Mevis to do the same, but the chances to keep these two are at least slightly better than Hopper and KAD.
Jaylon Carlies and Joseph Charleston are up in the air. I think there's a better chance Charleston comes back than Carlies. But as I said above, Mizzou will probably look to the portal if they lose both of these guys.
