Missouri Tigers Football 2017 Season Preview

The Missouri Tigers kick off their 2017 season this weekend against Missouri State. Before the season begins, we break down what to expect from this year.

Coming off of a 4-8 season last year, the Missouri Tigers have to be looking for a better showing in 2017. After coming out strong in their move to the Southeastern Conference, the Tigers have not been very good the past couple of seasons. In fact, things have pretty much fallen to pieces for them. However, 2017 does present a chance to get back on track.

Under new coach Barry Odom, the Tigers weren’t a great team last season, but they did show some signs for hope. Now in Odom’s second season with the team, Mizzou is at a bit of a crossroads on where they can go from here.

In college football, new coaches tend to take about three years to get their program into place. That’s the season when the players they recruited start to emerge as key members of the team. Barry Odom isn’t there yet, so he’s still largely working with players brought in by a different regime.

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Setting A Solid Goal

Unfortunately for Barry Odom, he’s not going to get a ton of leeway in Columbia. The Missouri Tigers were a very solid program just a few years ago, and there are many influential people who expect that to return soon. That doesn’t mean the Tigers have to win the SEC this year. However, a bowl game is going to be expected by many.

Getting to bowl eligibility will be a tough task for Mizzou. The Tigers play in the SEC and that presents a lot of challenges. You can’t afford to slip up against that kind of competition. Based on recent history, it’s hard to give Missouri the benefit of the doubt. However, this team does have some talent to work with.