1) Missouri easily won a game Saturday that it should easily have won. You can read my thoughts about that here. There wasn't much more to say about it than it happened, Missouri won and it's time to move on. That becomes easy to do for many reasons: It's a short week (there are only five guaranteed days left in Mizzou's football season). It's a game you have to win to get to 6-6 to guarantee you get to keep playing. The opponent is your "rival" which is coming off a huge win to get to six wins itself and is now playing to guarantee its second consecutive winning record after a four-year stretch in which it went 11-35. If Arkansas wins on Friday, the Razorbacks can sell this season as a minor step back. Missouri has a chance to both spoil Arkansas' season and "make" its own season on the same day. The Razorbacks opened as a 4.5-point favorite. The line is generally around four right now.

2) So about the bowl scenario, let's take a look at it. At 6-6, the Tigers are going to be guaranteed a bowl spot. The SEC currently has ten teams that are bowl eligible. Vanderbilt, Mizzou and Auburn can all get there on Saturday. Vandy plays Tennessee and Auburn plays Alabama, so in all likelihood, those teams are going to finish 5-7. If Mizzou can pull the upset and get to 6-6, here's the bowl picture in the league. We're going to assume for the time being that UGA beats LSU in the SEC title game and the SEC gets just one team in the playoff.

Playoff: Georgia
Sugar Bowl: Bama or LSU or Tennessee
Orange Bowl: Bama or LSU or Tennessee
Citrus Bowl: Bama or LSU or Tennessee

Then we get to the Pool of Six Bowls. These are all assigned as a pool with input from the league. They are as follows: Texas, Las Vegas, Music City, Liberty, Reliaquest, Gator. If Missouri wins, there will be seven teams for those six bowls. Mizzou, Florida and Arkansas would likely be 6-6. Kentucky gets to 7-5 if it beats Louisville, South Carolina has already won 7, Mississippi State has won 7 and Ole Miss has won 8.

I've heard two bowls that have interest in Mizzou if the Tigers get to 6-6: Las Vegas and Liberty. The Liberty Bowl would likely be a matchup with Kansas. One would think that would be very appealing to the bowl game and would have some interest for the SEC as well. If I'm Missouri, I don't want that game because there's more downside to losing than upside to winning, but ultimately, I doubt they'd say no to it. The Las Vegas bowl is against a PAC 12 team. Those are probably the best-case scenarios. Worst-case is that Mizzou is (again) the team left out of the SEC bowls and then would be relegated to the Birmingham Bowl against an AAC team on December 27th which is just about the definition of "worst case."

To ensure a pool of six game, Missouri should root for the following: Alabama to beat Auburn, Tennessee to beat Vanderbilt and LSU to upset Georgia in the SEC title game. If those things happen, it is likely LSU gets into the playoff, which moves Tennessee and Alabama up into the Sugar and Orange Bowls, LSU to the Citrus and leaves six teams for the pool of six.

TL;DNR: A 6-6 Missouri team would likely be bound for Memphis, Las Vegas or Birmingham.

3) But what happens if Missouri is 5-7? There are spots for 82 teams in the bowl season. There are 75 teams that have already won six games. That leaves seven available spots (assuming all 75 of those teams are bowl eligible, which I assume they are). Here are the 16 teams that have a chance to get to 6-6 this weekend:

Louisiana, Southern Miss, Georgia Southern, Auburn, Vandy, Mizzou, Ball State, Miami (OH), Buffalo (had a game postponed last week, so would actually be 6-5), UTEP, UAB, Rice, Florida Atlantic, Michigan State, Miami, Georgia Tech. Army and New Mexico State are both 4-6. Army has UMASS this weekend and Navy on December 10 and would need to win both to be eligible. NMSU had a game against San Jose State canceled and has to beat Liberty this weekend to get to 5-6 and be eligible.

The selection of 5-7 teams goes by Academic Progress Rate. Missouri is tied for 27th in APR. That is the highest APR ranking of any of the 17 teams that could still end the season with six wins. So the only situation in which a 5-7 Mizzou team is not a bowl team is if seven teams on the list above win this weekend. Here are who those teams play.

Louisiana: at Texas State (4-7)
Southern Miss: at UL-Monroe (4-7)
Georgia Southern: vs Appalachian State (6-5)
Auburn: at Alabama (9-2)
Vanderbilt: Tennessee (9-2)
Ball State: at Miami (OH) (5-6)
Miami (OH): vs Ball State (5-6)
Buffalo: vs Kent State (4-7)
UTEP: at UTSA (9-2)
UAB: at Louisiana Tech (3-8)
Rice: vs North Texas (6-5)
Florida Atlantic: vs Western Kentucky (7-5)
Michigan State: at Penn State (9-2)
Miami: vs Pitt (7-4)
Georgia Tech: at Georgia (11-0)
Army: UMASS, Navy

So let's assume Auburn, Vanderbilt, UTEP, Michigan State and Georgia Tech are losing. We know either Ball State or Miami (OH) has to lose. That's six teams out of the picture. That means seven of the remaining 11 (not including Missouri) would need to win for the Tigers not to get a bowl bid at 5-7. The bowls have to take all 6-6 teams before they start taking 5-7 teams. I have no idea where Mizzou would end up at 5-7, but it likely wouldn't be anything very exciting.

4) The day after the bowls are announced (Sunday, Dec 4) might actually be the most interesting day in college football. The transfer portal opens on Monday, Dec. 5. It is going to be chaos. There are going to be a ton of players entering the portal from all over the place. Some of those will be surprises, including players who are being recruited during the season with NIL promises (everyone in Power Five is doing it, don't kid yourself). We've always kind of avoided transfer speculation because we think it's unfair. But in this day and age, I think you have to do it. We're not really going to get into kids who are playing a significant amount here and could be wooed by other teams because that's all speculation (in other words, could Dominic Lovett and Luther Burden get offers that would convince them to leave? Sure. But pretty much any player is a candidate to transfer in that situation. Unless you're starting at a top 10 team that has playoff hopes every single season, you fall into this category). So instead of talking about guys like that, we're going to look at the list of players that it makes logical sense to us could be leaving Mizzou on December 5. In almost all of these cases, this is not based on us being told they're leaving. It's simply looking at the roster situation, projected lineups, etc and drawing conclusions that make sense. Not all of these guys will probably leave, but some of them will.

Here's our list of names to watch: Tyler Macon, Brady Cook, BJ Harris, Taj Butts, Michael Cox, Elijah Young, Gavin McKay, Luke Griffin, Travion Ford, Zachary Lovett, DJ Jackson, Tyler Jones.

Those 12 guys mostly aren't playing at all or aren't playing very much. The exception is obviously Brady Cook. He graduates in December. The chances of him being the starting quarterback here next year aren't very high in my opinion. He would have two years left to play somewhere else. We would expect the bulk of Mizzou's transfers to come from this list above, but there are other things that could happen like what we mentioned with Lovett/Burden, guys that are going to graduate that could move somewhere else (Javon Foster would be a candidate here), players that would have options if they went on the open market like Harrison Mevis. Again, I want to stress, I am not trying to push any of these guys out the door. But if you're not thinking about all these possibilities, you're ignoring what college football is in the age of the free transfer rule.

5) Here's my pre-transfer portal shot at a starting lineup on each side of the ball for Missouri next season:

QB: Sam Horn
RB: Cody Schrader/Tavorus Jones
WR: Dominic Lovett/Luther Burden/Mekhi Miller
TE: Ryan Hoerstkamp/Transfer
OL: Javon Foster/Xavier Delgado/Bence Polgar/Armand Membou/Hyrin White. I think we could see another transfer or two in here that could compete for a starting role

DL: Arden Walker/Kristian Williams/Josh Landry/Johnny Walker. I think we see at least one defensive end transfer in. Probably more.
LB: Chad Bailey/Dameon Wilson
CB: Ennis Rakestraw/Kris Abrams-Draine
S: Joseph Charleston/Ja'Marion Wayne/Daylan Carnell

I'm projecting Darius Robinson, Trajan Jeffcoat, Ty'Ron Hopper and Jaylon Carlies to leave.

Login to view embedded media
What?! Supposedly this guy is pretty well sourced but I can’t believe they’d give the job to Joseph and I don’t give a shit who he hires as assistants, at some point it comes down on the HC when the game is on the line. As a Chiefs fan I’ve been thinking EB is moving on soon which is fine but he wouldn’t be there until (hopefully) mid Feb this year. He ain’t just gonna leave in December

I would love to work for the athletic department because I love the information that it provides me. I grew up watching Corby Jones and guys like Keyon Dooling and loved every second of it. I think my autism gives a new perspective on what I know about sports because it’s about looking at things from a creative angle no one can see. The mental gymnastics I can do are like nothing else because I study it non-stop. Even though I live here in Los Angeles….Mizzou never will leave me.

2 tickets. Let me know if you can use them

I

Anybody? Anybody?

https://www.ncaa.com/mens-final-four/future-info

Mizzou’s first men’s basketball final four in Vegas? Sign me up for spring of 2028!

SOLD

-----
Two extra tickets vs Arkansas Black Friday
Section 124, row 11

$30 total for both
Trying to sell here and not stubhub because I reallllllly don't want to sit next to a hog fan

Text me 618-406-1723

Thanks for reading

If anyone has 5 they’d be willing to part with or sell, let me know

1) I hate these games. There’s almost nothing to learn. Especially when you don’t see as many of the young guys as you’d like for as long as you’d like. But I’ve always said I appreciate the SEC putting meaningful games in the first month of the season. Back in the Big 12 days I felt like we wasted the whole month of September and the season never really started until week five. That’s not the case in the SEC. We get games that seem important early on. The trade off is that we get a week in November where we feel like we’re all wasting our time. Kudos to the however many people showed up. The attendance was listed was listed as 45,321. It was maybe half of that. I blame none of you. I’m impressed with those of you who did.

2) Missouri did what it should have done. I didn’t pick them to cover because frankly I wasn’t sure they could score 30 points. They did. It wasn’t an awe-inspiring effort, but it was efficient and easy. It was pretty clear about two drives in that Missouri would be able to win this game without breaking a sweat (not that anyone could possibly have broken a sweat on this night).

3) That said, this is the least explosive offense I can remember seeing. The biggest plays are either QB scrambles or jet sweeps from Luther Burden. They don’t have another runner who is capable of really busting a big play. They don’t have a quarterback who is aggressive enough/accurate enough to pick up big chunks through the air. It’s three yards and a cloud of dust and dink and dunk. It’s just what they have this year. We’ve known that for a few weeks. It’s the best way for this team to win games. You hope it’s not the best way for next year’s team to win games. Burden clearly has rare athleticism and upside. He's flashed it against subpar competition this year. The next step is to do it against good competition. I think we see a similar jump from him next year as we did Dominic Lovett this year.

I asked Eli Drinkwitz if the weather (temperature) impacted the game plan at all. He said they told the players they weren’t going to change anything they planned to do unless they figured out mid-game the weather would force them to. He said it really didn’t. Said they wanted to be aggressive and he liked the way his players handled the elements.

4) The defense was…fine. I wouldn’t say much more than that and neither did Drinkwitz. He said he didn’t think they forced a three and out all night and “they played okay.” They absolutely should hold this team down. In fact, they probably shouldn’t have given up the second touchdown. The expectation defensively against this team is dominance against someone on the level of New Mexico State. They were good tonight. They were not dominant.

5) Players who saw their first action: Sam Horn, Jalen Marshall, Xavier Simmons, Max Whisner, Marquis Gracial. I’m probably missing some. Basically everyone who had a scholarship got on the field at some point I think.

I asked Drinkwitz if getting guys in, even if it’s just for a series or a handful of plays, can help with development. He said absolutely. He then surprised me by saying he was impressed with the way a few of the guys handled it but there were quite a few that he was disappointed in. He said there were quite a few guys that he didn’t think had the right mindset or were focused enough to take advantage of their opportunities.

6) I asked him some of the guys that did stand out to him. He singled out Daylan Carnell, Jalani Williams and Jalen Marshall. That doesn’t mean the rest of the guys necessarily fall into the second camp, but those are the three that he mentioned individually.

Young guys who did flash to me: Johnny Walker was in the backfield quite a few times. Daylan Carnell isn’t exactly inexperienced, but he hasn’t been a starter most of the year and clearly will be next year.

7) So let’s talk about the Sam Horn experience. His stat line: 0/2 passing, 1 carry for 10 yards, 1 injured wide receiver. I know the deep ball to Banister that got called back probably has you all hot and bothered with visions of 400-yard games and 50 points dancing through your heads for next season. I’ll err on the side of caution. He got on the field, but I didn’t learn anything. I kind of get it. Jack Abraham put in every bit as much time and work as he did this year. And he actually has been the second-string quarterback all year. He earned the right to play at least as much as Horn did. I also understand those who are frustrated saying “What in the world is going on that he gets out there for one series and then is on the bench?” I get it. But I don’t think one or two more series was going to really change anything.

Horn deserves credit for the throw that had them at the 1 that got called back by a penalty. But he deserves blame for probably sidelining Barrett Banister next week. I think he’s the favorite to be Missouri’s starting quarterback next year. But if you saw anything tonight to tell you that’s a sure thing and he’s going to be good, you’re seeing what you want to see. I don’t know any more about Horn tonight than I did last night.

8) Injuries coming out of this one are a concern. Not sure what’s going on with Isaiah McGuire or Joseph Charleston yet. Barrett Banister sure didn’t look like a guy who’s going to be ready for the next game. Ty’Ron Hopper and Kris Abrams-Draine left as well. Drinkwitz didn’t have any update on any of them immediately after the game. I feel like most of them probably could have kept playing if needed, but that's a guess. It’s a short week. The only goal other than getting some of the young guys on the field in this game was to stay healthy. Missouri didn’t. It’s to be determined how much that will impact them next week.

9) Missouri is 5-6. It is probably headed for a bowl game regardless of next week’s outcome. If it can beat Arkansas, it should get one of the SEC’s Pool of Six bowls, I’d guess most likely in Nashville, Las Vegas or Memphis. If not, it’s likely headed for some no-name bowl against a Group of Five team.

10) Is that progress? Not to me. A 6-6 regular season is treading water. It could be worse, it could be better. Vandy and South Carolina won today so maybe those wins look a little better. The Auburn, Florida and Kentucky losses all look a little worse than they did when they happened. This team is about where it should be. They’re in the great massive middle to bottom of the SEC. I think there are four and a half good teams in this league (Ole Miss being the half). I think the other nine can be good on some days, but certainly are not consistently good. The dirty little secret is that even in this league, all you have to do is beat the other teams that are no better than average and you’re going to end up 8-4 or 9-3 pretty much every year. Missouri did not do that this year. It needs to next year.

116 r 11 4 tickets
And lot o
$120 for all

Good waste of five years investigating. This is all so stupid. Coaches should have been paying players all along. Any coach that wasn't cheating his ass off in college basketball wasn't doing his job and should have been fired

Login to view embedded media

Want to take the wife and 4 kids and possibly father-in-law to the Houston Baptist game on Saturday. Let me know if anyone has that many available with a parking pass!

Know it is early but wanting to search for parking for that game. Let me know!

Sec 113, Row 24, seats 11 and 12
Direct Message if interested.

Enjoy the comforts of the lounge!!!
Dm if interested

2:30

No guess work to interpret this

TAKEN
------------------------
Already going Friday/Saturday, not going to make the trip Wednesday too.

2 FREE tickets
11/23, 6pm, Coastal Carolina
Sect 111 Row 10

Text me 618-406-1723

Drink starts with a happy Thanksgiving and what he's thankful for (family, Columbia, the team, the school, fans, etc.)

Drink says he will need the fans for the Battle Line Trophy.

He says Coach Sam Pittman has done well with Razorbacks, they've had the same three coordinators for three seasons.

He hopes KJ Jefferson is graduating or going pro. He's tired of playing him. He has a lot of praise for Jefferson.

He calls Raheim Sanders a great RB. He says they are multiple in their defensive scheme and had good things to say about Bumper Pool and Hudson Clark.

Drink says that the only injury update is that Xavier Simmons had a non-contact knee injury on a kickoff. He's OUT for the season. Tough break for Simmons who battled a Lisfranc injury coming into fall camp.

He said some of the injuries that happened last week seemed to be more precautionary.

Drink said he's only focused on rivalry game and the trophy. Not so much bowl eligibility.

He said for Thanksgiving they will have a family dinner following their fast Thursday practice and that they will be in the hotel on Thursday night.

Drink said that people undervalue KJ's ability to throw the ball. He said he's able to make plays with his feet well. He called him similar to Hendon Hooker.

He said that Arkansas has a great scheme that puts the offensive line in a lot of one on ones (ARK leads the league in sacks).

Drink thinks Armand Membou has played well at right tackle and that he can improve on some things but he said that Membou's held up his end of the bargain. He said every time Membou steps on the field Membou gains confidence.

He thinks Arkansas' system has evolved despite having the same coordinators for years.

He said everyone has to win one on one matchup.

Drink said there's a lot of talk about playcalling, but that it's a collective effort. He said Bush Hamdan has done a nice job of taking the lead on stuff. He said he thinks it's a bit overblown on who is calling plays. He said maybe it was something to spark them.

Drink said he will take the weekend to reflect on the season AFTER THE GAME. For now, he's worried about going 1-0 this week. He's not thinking about anything else.

Sam Pittman says he's unsure of Pool playing. He said that and it was tweeted during this presser here. Drink said he thinks Sam is throwing out rat poison.

He calls portal day a madhouse (Dec. 5). He obviously knows players are going to leave and he said sometimes the grass isn't always greener.

Said Schrader had his best game of the year last week.

Getting boat raced by SC...after the end of last week's game, I don't feel too bad for them.