Missouri Tigers: Barry Odom has saved his job

After a horrendous start to the 2017 season, the Missouri Tigers have turned things around. The result is Barry Odom keeping his job for another season.

From 1-5 to 5-5, the story of the Missouri Tigers 2017 season will be that of a strong turnaround that saved Barry Odom’s job. The Tigers head coach was in hot water after the team got off to a terrible start. However, over the past four weeks, Mizzou has looked fantastic. That will guarantee Odom’s return in 2018.

You have to give Barry Odom credit. He has been defiant in the face of criticism over the past few weeks. That energy he has shown in his post-game interviews has clearly rubbed off on the rest of the team. They are now playing with an aggressive nature that has resulted in lopsided wins.

Now, while you have to give Barry Odom’s fighting spirit credit, it also has to be mentioned that the schedule has not been tough as of late. The Tigers have won four straight games, but each win has come against teams with (currently) at least six losses. It’s not an impressive resume, but it’s something.

Bowl Eligibility Within Grasp

The Missouri Tigers only need one more win on the year to ensure they are heading to a post-season match-up. Bowl eligibility is a solid goal for a second-year head coach, and is a strong indicator of progress. Its certainly a step forward for the Tigers after the past couple of seasons.

Mizzou is starting to resemble the program that Gary Pinkel had built. That team was competing for the SEC title just a few years ago. That will ultimately be the next goal set for Barry Odom by the Missouri athletic department. Don’t get things twisted, they are still a long way away from that.

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According to the latest CBS projections Missouri would be headed to the Music City Bowl, where they would face the Iowa Hawkeyes. That’s not a prestigious bowl game by any means, but it’s not the worst either. Of course, Mizzou will still have to win at least one of their remaining two games.

Climbing In The SEC

Those last two games for the Missouri Tigers will come against a pair of SEC opponents, neither of which is having a good season. Both the Vanderbilt Commodores and Arkansas Razorbacks are opponents that the Tigers should be able to beat. That’s good news for the Tigers and their bowl eligibility.

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These two games are also a good chance for the Tigers to finish with a decent spot in the SEC East. Moving up in what many consider the best conference in college football is a huge step for the Mizzou program. If nothing else, it will help with recruiting for the program.

The Missouri Tigers program could well be on its way to getting back to what it was just a few years ago. Despite the early season criticism (from me included), Barry Odom appears to have gotten this team playing up to their expectations. The path forward seems to be a positive one now.

It has been a very strong turnaround for the Missouri Tigers. The 2017 season appeared to be all but lost just a few weeks ago. However, the Tigers appear to have gotten the right opponents at the right time. Nobody should confuse Mizzou with being a powerhouse right now, but they are showing signs of life.