Welcome to the offseason version of Four Down Territory.
It will be a little different than it was during the season. I'll post one weekly during the season, which for me is from SEC Media Days through Missouri's final game.
During the offseason, I’ll post every other week.
1. Everything about this offseason is different.
When you're watching your favorite TV series, you usually may cross a couple of thoughts about the show once you're a few seasons in.
If it's good and there is still meat on the bone, you probably enter the season finale wanting to see what's happening next season. You're already waiting for the season premiere.
If the show is good but long in the tooth, you don't mind a series finale. Some shows are great but sometimes it lasts a season or two too long.
To compare this in Missouri football terms, the 2023 season had many people wondering what the team will do in 2024, which is akin to waiting for the season premiere of the next season.
Going 11-2 with the final win being over a top 10 blueblood in one of the bigger non-College Football Playoff games will build that intrigue (on top of the massive recruiting success).
With that being the cliffhanger for the season finale, the intrigue carries over and many non-Mizzou fans are interested to see if Mizzou can keep the momentum.
After Mizzou went 6-7 in 2022, many fans were probably okay with getting to the offseason for a minute and leaving that season in the past.
Again, to relate it to TV, the Gasparilla Bowl was like the series finale happening right on time.
Mizzou football fans obviously like watching it whether the team is good or bad but seeing the team dance on the line between being .500 or not was a good stopping point.
Because football happens every fall, fans are always going to look forward to the next season but the way most fans looked forward to the 2023 season was different than they probably look forward to this fall.
Last season was more about being hopeful that the season would be better, but after what the team did last year, there's an expectation for them to be better.
2. Briefly looking at next year's wide receiver room.
Missouri is on one of the best recruiting runs ever. In the last week alone, it scored four commitments on four straight days with three of them being four-star prospects.
However, let’s briefly talk about the wide receiver room. I say briefly because I’m sure I’ll expand on this in its own article in due time.
But after getting Jayvan Boggs and Donovan Olugbode to commit the receiving room continue to be stacked.
We already know Theo Wease, Mookie Cooper and Luther Burden III headline the group this year that features seven returners at the position but even next year should be fun when ghe former two run out of eligibility and the latter likely heads to the NFL.
Next year, the scholarship receivers in addition to Boggs and Olugbode will be Mekhi Miller, Marquis “Speedy” Johnson, Joshua Manning, Daniel Blood, Courtney Crutchfield, James Madison and Shaun Terry.
That’s one of the more consistent players on the team (Miller), a player who already is known by his nickname after one season (Speedy Johnson), a four-star player who didn’t redshirt in 2023 (Manning), a former three-star player who didn’t redshirt last year either, two more four-star players and a three-star player.
Whoever the starting quarterback in 2025 is will have a litany of talented receiving options. Gone are the days of hoping for a couple of solid receivers. There’ll be weapons everywhere for the future 2025 starting quarterback, no problem.
3. Best college duos.
When I was back home on vacation in Charlotte, I had a few sports debates with my friends such as the top five basketball players via position and could (fill in the blank) football team make the College Football Playoff.
Eventually, we started talking about players we saw growing up and then someone showed me a graphic asking about the top duos in college football of all time or something like that, and it got me thinking.
Who are the top duos that I've seen?
1. Pat White and Steve Slaton
2. Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush
3. Johnny Manziel and Mike Evans
4. Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin
I know I left Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin off the list, but I won't pretend to act like I saw much Mizzou football growing up. That's why they aren't on my list. I knew of both players and remember them but I don't remember watching many of their games growing up.
Anyway, the most successful duo on my list is easily Leinart and Bush going back-to-back as Heisman winners. These two made up my formative years of watching and remembering college football because, at the time, my family was stationed in Ft. Irwin California about three to four hours east of USC. So the Trojans were on local TV. I liked Bush more than Leinart because he was the first human joystick I remember watching.
However, the two most enjoyable to me were White and Slaton. They were both super dynamic and it felt like there were two running backs on the field all the time. My brief NCAA gaming experience was predominantly using these two players so my eight-year-old bias is a factor here because they were easily the best option duo to play with.
Manziel's Heisman freshman season alone was crazy. He completed 68% of his passes for 3,706 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also had 1,410 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns.
I still can't comprehend a freshman running roughshod over college football like that.
Then, Evans is Evans. He had 82 receptions for 1,105 yards and five touchdowns.
Knowing what we know now, Evans hasn't had a season with less than 1,000 receiving yards since his first football season his senior year of high school.
Something about a 6-foot-5 receiver doing what Evans was doing seemed borderline unstoppable sometimes.
Tebow and Harvin should probably rank higher but I didn't like Florida and this is my list. It felt like watching a never-ending juggernaut. During Tebow's Heisman campaign in 2007, he had 55 total touchdowns and Harvin had 1,622 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns.
In 2008, the year the Gators won the BCS National Championship, Tebow had 42 total touchdowns and Harvin had 1,304 yards and 17 total touchdowns.
That game versus Kentucky, when Tebow was a bloodied mess forever lives in my brain. He was a cyborg and it was so annoying.
Who are the top duos that you've watched?
4. Scott Fish Bowl Fantasy Draft and restarting the PowerMizzou Fantasy Football League.
Drew and I went to Kansas City on Sunday to participate in the Scott Fish Bowl Fantasy Live Draft.
We have to start one quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, kicker and superflex (QB/RB/WR/TE). We also must start five flex and have 11 bench players for 22 total selections.
That means if you read this article at any point on Tuesday we will still be drafting because we only did the first 10 picks in Kansas City and you more or less had five minutes to make a pick. After that, it turns into a slow where each person gets eight hours to make a selection.
This is my first year participating in this league, but they change the rules a little or tweak things every year.
For example, tight ends and special teamers seem to get the bonuses this year. The former gets an extra point per first down and the latter receives 10 points for any punt/kickoff return touchdown. They also get one point for five kick and or punt return yards.
Because I know you're dying to know what my team looks like here are the 10 picks I made at the draft in order of selection :
QB C.J. Stroud, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, TE Kyle Pitts, WR Chris Olave, WR Stefon Diggs, QB Kirk Cousins, WR Terry McLaurin, WR Christian Kirk, WR Xavier Worthy, RB Nick Chubb
I don't love my Stroud pick in hindsight because in my draft there was a run on quarterbacks early so I went with an instinctual pick that I may have made in another league and got Stroud. But quarterbacks aren't valued as high in this league if they don't run but I still wanted to go for a top quarterback.
I also want to like the players I draft. I don't want to be starting Russell Wilson and Gardner Minshew.
To make up for that, I got Diggs in the fifth round because maybe I can double them up. I had the same thought with Cousins and Pitts.
Drew and I are in different leagues, so hopefully the PM guys can come away with wins.
Speaking of fantasy leagues and PM, there will be another fantasy football league. I'll determine the rules and all that stuff for the league later.
I'm very much a if you win you stay in the game kind of guy. So, last year's winner, @Lmac66, will have a reserved spot (that doesn't mean free) if they choose to rejoin the league to defend their crown. I believe @drewking0222 will be joining us too.
For everyone else, I'll probably do a Google sign-up sheet or something, and the first people to sign up with all the necessary information will get into the league.
It will probably be some time at the end of the month or in August that I will set this up. I will likely have another Four Down Territory with more info before I post the sign-up sheet so stay tuned.
It will be a little different than it was during the season. I'll post one weekly during the season, which for me is from SEC Media Days through Missouri's final game.
During the offseason, I’ll post every other week.
1. Everything about this offseason is different.
When you're watching your favorite TV series, you usually may cross a couple of thoughts about the show once you're a few seasons in.
If it's good and there is still meat on the bone, you probably enter the season finale wanting to see what's happening next season. You're already waiting for the season premiere.
If the show is good but long in the tooth, you don't mind a series finale. Some shows are great but sometimes it lasts a season or two too long.
To compare this in Missouri football terms, the 2023 season had many people wondering what the team will do in 2024, which is akin to waiting for the season premiere of the next season.
Going 11-2 with the final win being over a top 10 blueblood in one of the bigger non-College Football Playoff games will build that intrigue (on top of the massive recruiting success).
With that being the cliffhanger for the season finale, the intrigue carries over and many non-Mizzou fans are interested to see if Mizzou can keep the momentum.
After Mizzou went 6-7 in 2022, many fans were probably okay with getting to the offseason for a minute and leaving that season in the past.
Again, to relate it to TV, the Gasparilla Bowl was like the series finale happening right on time.
Mizzou football fans obviously like watching it whether the team is good or bad but seeing the team dance on the line between being .500 or not was a good stopping point.
Because football happens every fall, fans are always going to look forward to the next season but the way most fans looked forward to the 2023 season was different than they probably look forward to this fall.
Last season was more about being hopeful that the season would be better, but after what the team did last year, there's an expectation for them to be better.
2. Briefly looking at next year's wide receiver room.
Missouri is on one of the best recruiting runs ever. In the last week alone, it scored four commitments on four straight days with three of them being four-star prospects.
However, let’s briefly talk about the wide receiver room. I say briefly because I’m sure I’ll expand on this in its own article in due time.
But after getting Jayvan Boggs and Donovan Olugbode to commit the receiving room continue to be stacked.
We already know Theo Wease, Mookie Cooper and Luther Burden III headline the group this year that features seven returners at the position but even next year should be fun when ghe former two run out of eligibility and the latter likely heads to the NFL.
Next year, the scholarship receivers in addition to Boggs and Olugbode will be Mekhi Miller, Marquis “Speedy” Johnson, Joshua Manning, Daniel Blood, Courtney Crutchfield, James Madison and Shaun Terry.
That’s one of the more consistent players on the team (Miller), a player who already is known by his nickname after one season (Speedy Johnson), a four-star player who didn’t redshirt in 2023 (Manning), a former three-star player who didn’t redshirt last year either, two more four-star players and a three-star player.
Whoever the starting quarterback in 2025 is will have a litany of talented receiving options. Gone are the days of hoping for a couple of solid receivers. There’ll be weapons everywhere for the future 2025 starting quarterback, no problem.
3. Best college duos.
When I was back home on vacation in Charlotte, I had a few sports debates with my friends such as the top five basketball players via position and could (fill in the blank) football team make the College Football Playoff.
Eventually, we started talking about players we saw growing up and then someone showed me a graphic asking about the top duos in college football of all time or something like that, and it got me thinking.
Who are the top duos that I've seen?
1. Pat White and Steve Slaton
2. Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush
3. Johnny Manziel and Mike Evans
4. Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin
I know I left Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin off the list, but I won't pretend to act like I saw much Mizzou football growing up. That's why they aren't on my list. I knew of both players and remember them but I don't remember watching many of their games growing up.
Anyway, the most successful duo on my list is easily Leinart and Bush going back-to-back as Heisman winners. These two made up my formative years of watching and remembering college football because, at the time, my family was stationed in Ft. Irwin California about three to four hours east of USC. So the Trojans were on local TV. I liked Bush more than Leinart because he was the first human joystick I remember watching.
However, the two most enjoyable to me were White and Slaton. They were both super dynamic and it felt like there were two running backs on the field all the time. My brief NCAA gaming experience was predominantly using these two players so my eight-year-old bias is a factor here because they were easily the best option duo to play with.
Manziel's Heisman freshman season alone was crazy. He completed 68% of his passes for 3,706 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also had 1,410 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns.
I still can't comprehend a freshman running roughshod over college football like that.
Then, Evans is Evans. He had 82 receptions for 1,105 yards and five touchdowns.
Knowing what we know now, Evans hasn't had a season with less than 1,000 receiving yards since his first football season his senior year of high school.
Something about a 6-foot-5 receiver doing what Evans was doing seemed borderline unstoppable sometimes.
Tebow and Harvin should probably rank higher but I didn't like Florida and this is my list. It felt like watching a never-ending juggernaut. During Tebow's Heisman campaign in 2007, he had 55 total touchdowns and Harvin had 1,622 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns.
In 2008, the year the Gators won the BCS National Championship, Tebow had 42 total touchdowns and Harvin had 1,304 yards and 17 total touchdowns.
That game versus Kentucky, when Tebow was a bloodied mess forever lives in my brain. He was a cyborg and it was so annoying.
Who are the top duos that you've watched?
4. Scott Fish Bowl Fantasy Draft and restarting the PowerMizzou Fantasy Football League.
Drew and I went to Kansas City on Sunday to participate in the Scott Fish Bowl Fantasy Live Draft.
We have to start one quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, kicker and superflex (QB/RB/WR/TE). We also must start five flex and have 11 bench players for 22 total selections.
That means if you read this article at any point on Tuesday we will still be drafting because we only did the first 10 picks in Kansas City and you more or less had five minutes to make a pick. After that, it turns into a slow where each person gets eight hours to make a selection.
This is my first year participating in this league, but they change the rules a little or tweak things every year.
For example, tight ends and special teamers seem to get the bonuses this year. The former gets an extra point per first down and the latter receives 10 points for any punt/kickoff return touchdown. They also get one point for five kick and or punt return yards.
Because I know you're dying to know what my team looks like here are the 10 picks I made at the draft in order of selection :
QB C.J. Stroud, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, TE Kyle Pitts, WR Chris Olave, WR Stefon Diggs, QB Kirk Cousins, WR Terry McLaurin, WR Christian Kirk, WR Xavier Worthy, RB Nick Chubb
I don't love my Stroud pick in hindsight because in my draft there was a run on quarterbacks early so I went with an instinctual pick that I may have made in another league and got Stroud. But quarterbacks aren't valued as high in this league if they don't run but I still wanted to go for a top quarterback.
I also want to like the players I draft. I don't want to be starting Russell Wilson and Gardner Minshew.
To make up for that, I got Diggs in the fifth round because maybe I can double them up. I had the same thought with Cousins and Pitts.
Drew and I are in different leagues, so hopefully the PM guys can come away with wins.
Speaking of fantasy leagues and PM, there will be another fantasy football league. I'll determine the rules and all that stuff for the league later.
I'm very much a if you win you stay in the game kind of guy. So, last year's winner, @Lmac66, will have a reserved spot (that doesn't mean free) if they choose to rejoin the league to defend their crown. I believe @drewking0222 will be joining us too.
For everyone else, I'll probably do a Google sign-up sheet or something, and the first people to sign up with all the necessary information will get into the league.
It will probably be some time at the end of the month or in August that I will set this up. I will likely have another Four Down Territory with more info before I post the sign-up sheet so stay tuned.
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