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FOOTBALL Carson Beck and Brady Cook

I thought Gabe offered a thought-provoking question about how would the fortunes of either team changes if the QBs swapped teams last year.

I had a different take though and it speaks to how much Mizzou has upgraded its overall roster. However, I think Mizzou makes the playoffs last year with Beck at the controls and UGA is a 2 or 3-loss teams with Cook. I think the elite QB makes that much of a difference.

Now the exception would be the UGA team of two years ago where I think Cook could have won a national championship at UGA. UGA was still top-notch last year but they had some regression across the board. It was the supreme play of Beck that kept them elite. If Stetson Bennett had returned last year, then I think they would have gone 9-3.

FOOTBALL Week One SP+ Rankings

Mizzou - 7th
  • +4 spots from preseason rankings
  • Offensive Ranking: 8th
  • Defensive Ranking: 13th
  • Special Teams Ranking: 15th
Mizzou Opponents:
  • Buffalo - 111 (+12 spots)
  • Boston College - 70 (+3 spots)
  • Vanderbilt - 84 (+5 spots)
  • A&M - 24 (-10 spots)
  • UMASS - 131 (-3 spots)
  • Auburn - 16 (+9 spots)
  • Alabama - 2 (+2 spots)
  • Oklahoma - 11 (+2 spots)
  • South Carolina - 48 (-13 spots)
  • Miss State - 40 (+15 spots)
  • Arkansas - 27 (+17 spots)

Interestingly, it looks like this model really favored the SEC teams blowing out the minnows. A lot of large jumps from that. Will be interesting to see how the model reacts over the next few weeks. Would have expected larger jumps for BC and Vandy, but if the first week is an indication, they should see large jumps after blowing out their FCS opponents this week.

All in all, the first week appears to be a net positive for Mizzou's SOS.

FOOTBALL Random Week 1 thoughts

—Not a fan of preseason polls. People are voting solely by what they see on paper. The bigger issue is that they then dismiss what they see on the field on Week 1. Oregon was in a 56-minute fight with Idaho, but will the voters reassess? Probably not. If you believe the ESPN headline writers, Michigan rolled to a win over Fresno State. Never mind that it was a 6-point game with 10 minutes left or that Michigan iced it with an 85-yard pick-6 in the last couple of minutes. Will the Wolverines drop? Not until they get waxed by Texas on Saturday.

—Conversely, watch Miami vault in the polls. That’s not to suggest the Hurricanes weren’t impressive. One of the most dominating performances of the week.

—Georgia is Georgia.

—How long is Dabo gonna ignore the transfer portal? How long can he afford to?

—Intriguing early season SEC matchup: Tennessee at OU (Sept. 21). The Vols QB can spin it.

—Anybody check in on Shane Beamer?

—It was just a couple of seasons ago that Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said this after a win over Texas.

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Well, on Saturday night the Red Raiders beat another team from Texas: 52-51 in OT. This time it was mighty Abilene Christian. ACU had second-and-1 at the 4 in the last 15 seconds of regulation before settling for the tying FG. Tech scored its OT TD on 3rd-and-11. ACU went for the win in OT and finished with 506 passing yards.

Doubt there was any damn music in the locker room afterward.

—I wouldn’t read too much into what we saw from A&M. First game under a new coach against a top 10 team. That defense is salty, and it was a tie game with 2 minutes left. Plus, this will be arguably the toughest environment Mizzou plays in all season. Probably good it’s an 11 o’clock kickoff. Take any kind of win and get the hell out of Dodge.

—Gonna be a perfect night for football on Saturday night at Faurot. Can’t wait.

Week 1 Degenerates, ASSEMBLE

Need a GIF for this.

What you got?

My first big play is LSU v. USC OVER 64.5. I think this has offense, lots of it. Im also taking LSU -4.5, I think they win by more than a TD

ND v. aTm. I am taking aTm -3. Not an easy pick for me. but Texas A&M with new coaches starts the hype train early and then PUKES.

I think people are underestimating Clemson, like they are a dead program. I don't think they cover the UGa Juggernaut, but Im taking the under 48.5.

Illinois state v. Iowa, Do I take the under 40.5? Yes, I think I do. I don't think Iowa scores 40+.

I am taking FSU -16.5 over BC. I think FSU comes back with a vengence.

Guess who is #1 in Total Team Defense

Mizzou that's who! Sure we played a cupcake. Doesn't matter. Number 1 is number 1. Both in total yards and yards per play. The goal was always to build up the defense in games 1-4 with the hopes that it would gel and become a formidable unit. So far we are off to a great start!


Let's keep it rolling against Buffalo. MIZ.

FOOTBALL RECRUITING ***2026 LB KEENAN HARRIS TALKS MIZZOU INTEREST***


Video interview with Keenan Harris from my St. Louis trip
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