Mizzou Football: Five bold predictions for 2017 season
By Jesse Holt
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Mizzou offense to be among the best in college football
This prediction is definitely among the boldest I bring, but believe me when I say it’s not overly farfetched.
There’s no reason for Mizzou to not run the table on non-conference opponents.
First and foremost, did you know the Missouri Tigers had the 13th best offense in all of college football last season? It’s true! Of course, a large part of that was due to the Tigers consistently playing from behind in 2016. Still, there’s no reason not to expect similar development out of the young offense this season.
Most importantly, with another year of development under his belt, Drew Lock should continue to improve. Lock is already statistically the best returning QB in the SEC East. Throwing for 3,399 yards and 23 touchdowns last season declares just as much. Also, in a year of constantly playing from behind, Lock still only threw 10 picks.
Lock has also been placed on the watch list for the Manning Award this season. For those unfamiliar with the award, it’s the only major quarterback award that takes bowl performances into account.
https://twitter.com/MizzouFootball/status/897851646759366657
In addition to Lock, Missouri also features the return of the Tigers’ top rusher and receiver respectively in Damarea Crockett and J’Mon Moore.
The Tigers could honestly have a top seven offense next season. As previously noted, the Tigers schedule for 2017 is not overly intimidating, so there’s no reason for Mizzou to not run the table on non-conference opponents. That, in turn, gives the Tigers an early chance to pad stats.
Also, Mizzou football was lucky enough to avoid matching up against Alabama or LSU this upcoming season. That removes arguably the two biggest defensive threats in the SEC from matching up against the Tigers.
The result of all of these? Possibly a record breaking 2017 for the Tigers offense.