Mizzou Football: Five bold predictions for 2017 season

(Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

As Mizzou football begins its sixth season in the Southeastern Conference, fans can be forgiven for not having high hopes. There is nothing saying Mizzou fans can’t be bold in their predictions for 2017 though.

For the Missouri Tigers, those back-to-back appearances in the SEC Championship Game must seem like an eternity ago. Since the team last won the SEC East in 2014, Mizzou’s record has been nothing to write home about.

Gary Pinkel’s final season produced a 5-7 record with the Tigers only winning one game in SEC play. It’s not like the Barry Odom era started off any better as Mizzou only managed a 4-8 record in 2016.

Although, if you’re looking for bright skies, Missouri did manage to win two games in conference play in 2016. There were a few glimmers of hope here and there for the Tigers over the past couple of seasons though.

There is plenty for Missouri Tigers fans to be excited about heading into a new season.

The emotional win over BYU at Arrowhead Stadium was definitely crucial for Tigers faithful. It would mark Gary Pinkel’s final win, as well as a return to normalcy after a week of intense campus protests.

You also can’t shortchange the significance of a 2016 Battle Line Rivalry victory over Arkansas to put a nice cap on the season.

Plenty for Missouri fans to be excited about

After I just played “Debbie Downer” by reminiscing about the Tigers’ past two seasons, I’d forgive anyone who’s already wanting to wave goodbye to 2017. That would be a royal mistake.

There is plenty for Missouri Tigers fans to be excited about heading into a new season. Not only because of the whole “rah-rah, this year will be different” attitude fans can embody. I legitimately believe the Missouri Tigers will show a lot of improvement in 2017.

In fact, I believe in the improvement of the Tigers so wholeheartedly, I’m willing to toss out some bold predictions for the season. Feel free to call me optimistic, a homer, gullible, or a moron. Actually, please don’t call me a moron; that wouldn’t be nice.

What follows are five bold predictions for the Missouri Tigers in 2017 and why you should believe just as I do.