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1. Missouri starts the season one spot out of the top 25. There will be an updated poll released today, I think, but based on the fact that the only team ahead of them that played was Florida and the Gators won, I don't see anything changing. I went back to look at the history of the accuracy of the rankings in regards to Mizzou. It hasn't been very accurate.
Since 2004, the Tigers have started the season ranked five times. Here are how those years went:
2004--Ranked 18th preseason, finished 5-6 and unranked
2008--Ranked 6th preseason, finished 10-4 ranked 19th
2011--Ranked 21st preseason, finished 8-5 and unranked
2014--Ranked 24th preseason, finished 11-3 ranked 14th
2015--Ranked 24th preseason, finished 5-7 and unranked
So in the five years they were ranked in the preseason poll, they finished unranked twice, 13 spots below the preseason ranking once and 10 spots above it once.
Since 2004, Missouri has finished a season ranked in the final poll five times. Here are those years:
2007--Finished 12-2 and ranked 4th after starting unranked
2008--Finished 10-4 and ranked 19th after starting 6th
2010--Finished 10-3 and ranked 18th after starting unranked
2013--Finished 12-2 and ranked 6th after starting unranked
2014--Finished 11-3 and ranked 14th after staring 24th
So they've finished four seasons as a top 25 team. In three of those (including the best two) they began the season unranked.
Overall, since 2003, Missouri has been ranked in the top 25 at some point during 12 of the 16 seasons. They started seven of those seasons unranked. In other words, the preseason poll means absolutely nothing in regard to Missouri.
2. So let's take a shot at the depth chart. We're going to start on offense. I'll list the two deep as I expect it to be when we receive it at media day tomorrow
QB: Kelly Bryant/Taylor Powell
RB: Larry Rountree III/Tyler Badie
WR: Jalen Knox/Maurice Massey
Johnathon Johnson/Dominic Gicinto
Johnathan Nance/Kam Scott
TE: Albert Okwuegbunam/Daniel Parker Jr.
LT: Yasir Durant/Javon Foster
LG: Larry Borom/Mike Ruth
C: Trystan Colon-Castillo/Case Cook
RG: Tre'Vour Wallace-Simms/Thalen Robinson
RT: Hyrin White/Bobby Lawrence
The backups at offensive line may be slightly off. It's also possible that they list three guys at one or two of the receiver spots and Massey is not listed as a second-stringer. Other than that, there's really not any suspense whatsoever.
3. Now let's move on to the defense
DE: Chris Turner/Chris Williams (?)
DT: Jordan Elliott/Kobie Whiteside
DT: Akial Byers/Markell Utsey
DE: Jatorian Hansford/Tre Williams
WLB: Nick Bolton/Aubrey Miller
MLB: Cale Garrett/Jamal Brooks
S: Ronnell Perkins OR Khalil Oliver/Stacy Brown
S: Joshuah Bledsoe/Jordan Ulmer
S: Tyree Gillespie/Jalani Williams
CB: DeMarkus Acy/Adam Sparks
CB: Christian Holmes OR Jarvis Ware/Richaud Floyd
I didn't list Trajan Jeffcoat because I don't think he'll play this week. When he is cleared, I think he'll be the backup to Turner with a chance to work his way into starting. I didn't list Cameron Wilkins for the same reason. When he's healthy, I think he goes ahead of Jamal Brooks as the backup to Garrett. I think Brown and Floyd are third-stringers, but I think both will play. The only question I have is the second starting defensive tackle. I think it's going to be Byers, but it could be Utsey or Whiteside. Two through four are pretty even and interchangeable there.
4. On the special teams I'm not listing two because they aren't gonna play two and often don't even list two
P: Tucker McCann
PK: Tucker McCann
LS: Jake Hoffman
PR: Richaud Floyd
KR: Tyler Badie
5. The season, to me, isn't really about the offense. I don't think they'll be quite as prolific as they have been the last two years. I don't expect a top ten offense statistically. But they'll put up yards and points and if they fall short of expectations, it won't be because of the offense. The season comes down to the defense and special teams being better than they were a year ago. With competent special teams and a below average pass defense, Missouri probably would have won 11 games last year. But what it had was horrendous special teams and a terrible pass defense so it won eight. Those two units don't have to be great. Honestly, I'm not even sure they have to be good. If they're just average, Missouri's going to have a good chance to win nine or ten games.
1. Missouri starts the season one spot out of the top 25. There will be an updated poll released today, I think, but based on the fact that the only team ahead of them that played was Florida and the Gators won, I don't see anything changing. I went back to look at the history of the accuracy of the rankings in regards to Mizzou. It hasn't been very accurate.
Since 2004, the Tigers have started the season ranked five times. Here are how those years went:
2004--Ranked 18th preseason, finished 5-6 and unranked
2008--Ranked 6th preseason, finished 10-4 ranked 19th
2011--Ranked 21st preseason, finished 8-5 and unranked
2014--Ranked 24th preseason, finished 11-3 ranked 14th
2015--Ranked 24th preseason, finished 5-7 and unranked
So in the five years they were ranked in the preseason poll, they finished unranked twice, 13 spots below the preseason ranking once and 10 spots above it once.
Since 2004, Missouri has finished a season ranked in the final poll five times. Here are those years:
2007--Finished 12-2 and ranked 4th after starting unranked
2008--Finished 10-4 and ranked 19th after starting 6th
2010--Finished 10-3 and ranked 18th after starting unranked
2013--Finished 12-2 and ranked 6th after starting unranked
2014--Finished 11-3 and ranked 14th after staring 24th
So they've finished four seasons as a top 25 team. In three of those (including the best two) they began the season unranked.
Overall, since 2003, Missouri has been ranked in the top 25 at some point during 12 of the 16 seasons. They started seven of those seasons unranked. In other words, the preseason poll means absolutely nothing in regard to Missouri.
2. So let's take a shot at the depth chart. We're going to start on offense. I'll list the two deep as I expect it to be when we receive it at media day tomorrow
QB: Kelly Bryant/Taylor Powell
RB: Larry Rountree III/Tyler Badie
WR: Jalen Knox/Maurice Massey
Johnathon Johnson/Dominic Gicinto
Johnathan Nance/Kam Scott
TE: Albert Okwuegbunam/Daniel Parker Jr.
LT: Yasir Durant/Javon Foster
LG: Larry Borom/Mike Ruth
C: Trystan Colon-Castillo/Case Cook
RG: Tre'Vour Wallace-Simms/Thalen Robinson
RT: Hyrin White/Bobby Lawrence
The backups at offensive line may be slightly off. It's also possible that they list three guys at one or two of the receiver spots and Massey is not listed as a second-stringer. Other than that, there's really not any suspense whatsoever.
3. Now let's move on to the defense
DE: Chris Turner/Chris Williams (?)
DT: Jordan Elliott/Kobie Whiteside
DT: Akial Byers/Markell Utsey
DE: Jatorian Hansford/Tre Williams
WLB: Nick Bolton/Aubrey Miller
MLB: Cale Garrett/Jamal Brooks
S: Ronnell Perkins OR Khalil Oliver/Stacy Brown
S: Joshuah Bledsoe/Jordan Ulmer
S: Tyree Gillespie/Jalani Williams
CB: DeMarkus Acy/Adam Sparks
CB: Christian Holmes OR Jarvis Ware/Richaud Floyd
I didn't list Trajan Jeffcoat because I don't think he'll play this week. When he is cleared, I think he'll be the backup to Turner with a chance to work his way into starting. I didn't list Cameron Wilkins for the same reason. When he's healthy, I think he goes ahead of Jamal Brooks as the backup to Garrett. I think Brown and Floyd are third-stringers, but I think both will play. The only question I have is the second starting defensive tackle. I think it's going to be Byers, but it could be Utsey or Whiteside. Two through four are pretty even and interchangeable there.
4. On the special teams I'm not listing two because they aren't gonna play two and often don't even list two
P: Tucker McCann
PK: Tucker McCann
LS: Jake Hoffman
PR: Richaud Floyd
KR: Tyler Badie
5. The season, to me, isn't really about the offense. I don't think they'll be quite as prolific as they have been the last two years. I don't expect a top ten offense statistically. But they'll put up yards and points and if they fall short of expectations, it won't be because of the offense. The season comes down to the defense and special teams being better than they were a year ago. With competent special teams and a below average pass defense, Missouri probably would have won 11 games last year. But what it had was horrendous special teams and a terrible pass defense so it won eight. Those two units don't have to be great. Honestly, I'm not even sure they have to be good. If they're just average, Missouri's going to have a good chance to win nine or ten games.
