Back in the day you played ~10 games, most if not all were against FBS teams and conference teams. Missouri for example in 1970 (random year I have selected), Mizzou played 11 games against 7 Big 8 opponents and 3 other P5 teams in Baylor, Minnesota, and Notre Dame and then had a ranked Air Force team.
That is 11 major schools that Mizzou played and went 5-6.
Another random number....1982
Mizzou played 11 games and went 5-4-2.
8 of those games were against major conference teams and 3 against Colorado State, Army, and ECU. So Mizzou almost made a bowl, had a winning record, while going 2-4-2 against P5 teams. Is that a good season?
Let's look at Missouri's 2017, 2018, 2019 schedules:
In 2017 Mizzou played:
One FCS opponent (Missouri State)
Two Non-Power 5 teams in Idaho and UConn (puke)
That in my mind is 3 gimme games that under no circumstances should Mizzou lose, period.
That means you have to go a measly 3-6 against P5 teams to go to a bowl.
A slate that included Purdue, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Arkansas, which should result in at minimum 3 wins.
Mizzou lost to Purdue but beat coachless Florida team, putting them at a predictable 7-5. But that's a bowl season!
Let's look at 2018.
Start with another FCS school in UT Martin, play Wyoming and Memphis. Once again should be 3 wins.
Once again you have to go 3-6 to make a bowl with Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Purdue. Mizzou has to go 4-0 in those games to make it to 7 wins. 3 of those teams look like they should be automatic Ws because they're frankly terrible.
Another 7-5 season that is a bowl season! How exciting. Mizzou has literally beaten 3 gimmes and 3 of the same 4 teams to get to 7 wins.
What about 2019?
Aug. 31 at Wyoming Laramie, Wyo.
Sept. 7 West Virginia Memorial Stadium
Sept. 14 Southeast Missouri Memorial Stadium
Sept. 21 South Carolina Memorial Stadium
Oct. 5 Troy Memorial Stadium
Oct. 12 Ole Miss (Homecoming) Memorial Stadium
Oct. 19 at Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn.
Oct. 26 at Kentucky Lexington, Ky.
Nov. 9 at Georgia Athens, Ga.
Nov. 16 Florida Memorial Stadium
Nov. 23 Tennessee Memorial Stadium
Nov. 30 at Arkansas Little Rock, Ark.
So Wyoming, SE Missouri, and Troy are you mail it in wins (maybe not troy...)
So you already start off at 3 wins, once again you need a dismal 3-6 to make a bowl and have a "successful" season.
Say Mizzou beats Vandy, Tennessee, and Arkansas to go 6-6. Another bowl season!!
In those 3 seasons of exciting bowl games Mizzou would be a combined 0-9 against Kentucky, South Carolina, and Georgia.
If Odom goes 4-8. 7-5, 7-5. 6-6 is that what Mizzou fans are comfortable with as successful?
Even Pinkel won 8 games in his 3rd season. His schedule in 2003 was:
3 gimmes in Ball St, Eastern Illinois and Middle Tennessee and then Illinois as his OOC P5. Requiring him to go 3-6 to hit 6 wins or 5-4 to hit 8 wins. He managed to beat #10 Nebraska that year and went 5-4 against P5 teams.
That was the season that allowed Pinkel to have a couple more mediocre seasons before he turned it up a notch.
Mizzou cannot simply go 3-6 or 4-5 against P5 teams, that isn't good football and I think Mizzou fans should expect better than that when the schedule EVERY year has Vanderbilt, Arkanasas, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Tennessee on it and Mizzou should be able to randomly beat Georgia and Florida as well. Future P5 opponents are WVU, BYU, BC, KSU, and Illinois. Hardly world beaters in there.
So the question is, if Odom gets 7 wins this year, the same as last season, how is that a successful year? How is that showing improvement? Does next year look like an 8 win season? Will Odom get until 2020 to field a team that might go .500 against P5 teams?
I don't think Mizzou fans should settle for bowl games when in 2018 you're basically playing 3 or 4 cupcakes and have to scrape 2 wins against Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Kentucky, South Carolina, or Arkansas.
That is the definition of mediocre in my eyes. Not too long ago the discussion was who would be Pinkel's replacement to elevate this program even higher then he took it (Maybe a conference championship). Now we're taking moral victories in playing mediocre teams close in the 4th quarter? Going 3-6 or 4-5 againt P5 teams and making a bowl? When did bowl games become the goal of Mizzou Football?
I hope Barry turns it around, but if Mizzou doesn't get 8 wins this year with this roster, when will he?
That is 11 major schools that Mizzou played and went 5-6.
Another random number....1982
Mizzou played 11 games and went 5-4-2.
8 of those games were against major conference teams and 3 against Colorado State, Army, and ECU. So Mizzou almost made a bowl, had a winning record, while going 2-4-2 against P5 teams. Is that a good season?
Let's look at Missouri's 2017, 2018, 2019 schedules:
In 2017 Mizzou played:
One FCS opponent (Missouri State)
Two Non-Power 5 teams in Idaho and UConn (puke)
That in my mind is 3 gimme games that under no circumstances should Mizzou lose, period.
That means you have to go a measly 3-6 against P5 teams to go to a bowl.
A slate that included Purdue, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Arkansas, which should result in at minimum 3 wins.
Mizzou lost to Purdue but beat coachless Florida team, putting them at a predictable 7-5. But that's a bowl season!
Let's look at 2018.
Start with another FCS school in UT Martin, play Wyoming and Memphis. Once again should be 3 wins.
Once again you have to go 3-6 to make a bowl with Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Purdue. Mizzou has to go 4-0 in those games to make it to 7 wins. 3 of those teams look like they should be automatic Ws because they're frankly terrible.
Another 7-5 season that is a bowl season! How exciting. Mizzou has literally beaten 3 gimmes and 3 of the same 4 teams to get to 7 wins.
What about 2019?
Aug. 31 at Wyoming Laramie, Wyo.
Sept. 7 West Virginia Memorial Stadium
Sept. 14 Southeast Missouri Memorial Stadium
Sept. 21 South Carolina Memorial Stadium
Oct. 5 Troy Memorial Stadium
Oct. 12 Ole Miss (Homecoming) Memorial Stadium
Oct. 19 at Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn.
Oct. 26 at Kentucky Lexington, Ky.
Nov. 9 at Georgia Athens, Ga.
Nov. 16 Florida Memorial Stadium
Nov. 23 Tennessee Memorial Stadium
Nov. 30 at Arkansas Little Rock, Ark.
So Wyoming, SE Missouri, and Troy are you mail it in wins (maybe not troy...)
So you already start off at 3 wins, once again you need a dismal 3-6 to make a bowl and have a "successful" season.
Say Mizzou beats Vandy, Tennessee, and Arkansas to go 6-6. Another bowl season!!
In those 3 seasons of exciting bowl games Mizzou would be a combined 0-9 against Kentucky, South Carolina, and Georgia.
If Odom goes 4-8. 7-5, 7-5. 6-6 is that what Mizzou fans are comfortable with as successful?
Even Pinkel won 8 games in his 3rd season. His schedule in 2003 was:
3 gimmes in Ball St, Eastern Illinois and Middle Tennessee and then Illinois as his OOC P5. Requiring him to go 3-6 to hit 6 wins or 5-4 to hit 8 wins. He managed to beat #10 Nebraska that year and went 5-4 against P5 teams.
That was the season that allowed Pinkel to have a couple more mediocre seasons before he turned it up a notch.
Mizzou cannot simply go 3-6 or 4-5 against P5 teams, that isn't good football and I think Mizzou fans should expect better than that when the schedule EVERY year has Vanderbilt, Arkanasas, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Tennessee on it and Mizzou should be able to randomly beat Georgia and Florida as well. Future P5 opponents are WVU, BYU, BC, KSU, and Illinois. Hardly world beaters in there.
So the question is, if Odom gets 7 wins this year, the same as last season, how is that a successful year? How is that showing improvement? Does next year look like an 8 win season? Will Odom get until 2020 to field a team that might go .500 against P5 teams?
I don't think Mizzou fans should settle for bowl games when in 2018 you're basically playing 3 or 4 cupcakes and have to scrape 2 wins against Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Kentucky, South Carolina, or Arkansas.
That is the definition of mediocre in my eyes. Not too long ago the discussion was who would be Pinkel's replacement to elevate this program even higher then he took it (Maybe a conference championship). Now we're taking moral victories in playing mediocre teams close in the 4th quarter? Going 3-6 or 4-5 againt P5 teams and making a bowl? When did bowl games become the goal of Mizzou Football?
I hope Barry turns it around, but if Mizzou doesn't get 8 wins this year with this roster, when will he?
