Mizzou Ranked 22nd on Sports Illustrated Preseason Rankings

Sports Illustrated released their top 25 rankings for college football and has Mizzou ranked in the 22nd spot. Mizzou had a great season in 2013, which was capped off with a victory in the Cotton Bowl.

The team advanced all the way to the SEC Championship game where they fell to the Auburn Tigers, but Missouri finish their season strong with a victory in the Cotton Bowl. The Cotton Bowl was a big win for the Tigers as they defeated the extremely talented Oklahoma State Cowboys, a former rival in the Big 12.

Here’s what Sports Illustrated had to say about Mizzou and their spot on the list,

"Health and leadership were critical to Missouri’s unexpected rise in the SEC East last year. They figure to play an equally essential role in the Tigers’ quest to defend their division crown. After an injury-riddled 2012 campaign that saw Mizzou miss the postseason, coach Gary Pinkel’s team went 12-2, capped by a 41-31 win over Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl. Pinkel attributes the success to conditioning, limiting contact in practice and playing a lot of guys. He hopes the latter keeps his team from regressing without quarterback James Franklin, defensive linemen Kony Ealy and Michael Sam and running back Henry Josey, who all left for NFL."

A lot of the Tiger fans I know are really excited about this year’s starting quarterback Maty Mauk. My co-editor Josh Michaels covered the quarterback last month and feels that Mauk, despite being talented in the position, will definitely have his work cut out for him.

"It’s not going to be easy for Maty though, as he’s going to have to over come several obstacles from his own team. He’ll have to overcome an unproven receiving corps that no longer features Dorial Green-Beckham, who was dismissed from the team for violating team rules, or, he just couldn’t stop smoking the ganja."

Missouri has a few tough match ups this year being in the SEC and all, including Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. The Gamecocks defeated Mizzou in their home stadium last year and the game will take place in South Carolina this year, which could be dangerous.