Sam Mellinger

The Kansas City Star

We’ve all been guessing on what will be one of the more fascinating stories to follow this fall. We can admit that, right?

Because none of us — not you, not me, not Gary Pinkel and not Mike Slive — really has anything other than a guess or gut feel about how Missouri football will do in the SEC this fall.

I’ve been thinking they’ll go 4-4 or so. Some of you have thought better, some worse.

Well, for being 87 days before the first game and 94 days before Mizzou’s SEC opener, there’s a guess out there I thought worth passing on from the fine folks behind @BeyondTheBets.

They put together an admittedly way-too-early projection of all SEC games, and, well, it’s not real kind to Mizzou.

For whatever it’s worth, at the beginning of June, BTB has MU favored in only two games — Vanderbilt at home and Kentucky at home — and underdogs of between 2 1/2 (at Texas A&M) and 13 (Alabama at home) points in the others.

Who knows how the actual games will go, or for that matter, what the actual lines will be. I still think MU can win four conference games (Vandy, Kentucky, A&M and Georgia, for instance) and there’s only one game (Alabama) I’d be shocked to see MU win.

Whatever. Gives us something to talk and think about in June, if nothing else.

Comments

1. 

   Brad H

   1 year ago

   Why is this KU jackstick allowed to write about Mizzou at all?

   Here’s a prediction: Mizzou football will do better in the SEC than Kansas football will do in the Big 8+4-2-2+2.

2. 

   Dave Feit

   1 year ago

   Brad H - A couple of thoughts from somebody who is neutral in the MU-KU rivalry:

   Mellinger may be a floppy-haired KU jackstick, but his job as columnist for the Star pretty much requires that he writes about MU.

   I’m pretty sure you’re not required to read it.

   And there is a chance (albeit small) that KU could have a better conference record than MU. Baylor and Okie State will have new QBs, TCU, Texas, and ISU are at home, and who knows if Weis and his merry band of transfers will be good (because they can’t be much worse, can they?).

   If Franklin cannot stay healthy, or if the vaunted SEC defenses stifle the MU offense, it could be a long first year.

   Let’s be clear - I wouldn’t bet the house on KU having a better conference record than MU, but it is possible.

3. 

   Andre Roussimoff

   1 year ago

   LOL Muck Fizzou. I’ll be shocked to see them win a single game in the SEC

4. 

   Kit Mann

   1 year ago

   Missouri never won JACK SQUAT in the Big 12. Nothing. Zip. Nada. Why in GOD’S NAME do Mizzou fans think that is going to change by going to the SEC? —It is so funny to watch an institution spiral slowly down the drain because of tunnel-vision, ego-driven decisions. HILARIOUS.

   My god, their last major bowl win was the 1965 sugar bowl!! Are you kidding?

   2-6 sounds about right, but don’t sleep on Vandy and I would bet 10 bucks right now that MU loses that out of conference game against UCF.

5. 

   Britt Fox

   1 year ago

   I’d like to throw my two cents as a Gamecock fan into this discussion. Georgia is a mess at the beginning of the season, and Mizz takes our place as the second game on their Schedule. Beating Georgia in your house is not a stretch, Kentucky is a gimme. Vandy will be a wild card this season, they could be much improved(i suspect some)or they could just be Vandy. Even when they aren’t good, they hang in pretty well in games til late. Don’t even think about the Bama game. That just isn’t going to happen, and you will be in good company. It will be pretty much the same for playing South Carolina, only slightly less impossible. I think Florida will be a step closer to being ready to take another run, but I just don’t think they are quite there. I need to feel a little better about what their coaches can do. Who is Florida’s Qb(s)? still that will be a rough one especially in Gainesville. I am not remotely sold on Tennessee as being back to a force in the SEC…they just don’t have the depth in spite of having several really good starters. I think you win that battle even at Neyland. It’s hard for me to predict what A&M is capable of, but i do know that they will get beat up pretty good in the west. I don’t know how much they will have left in the tank come November. I could see you winning 5 with very little stretch involved, but it wouldn’t be hard to see only 3 wins as well. I feel really good about 4 or 5, which would be very respectable for a newcomer in this league…especially if you take care of your out of conference foes and go to a bowl. I think anybody would consider that a victory.

Sign in with Facebook to comment.