Mizzou Football: Barry Odom needs signature win to save his job

Mizzou football is 4-4 on the year and has four more games to close out the 2018 season. How can Barry Odom keep his job as Missouri’s head coach?

We’re nearing the end of year three for Barry Odom as the head coach of Mizzou football and there’s a good chance this could be his final year in Columbia if the Tigers don’t show some juice down the stretch. Odom has yet to really have that “signature win” of his career while in Columbia and he has a chance to capture it this weekend.

The Tigers travel to Gainesville to take on the 6-2 Florida Gators. Florida has been a very back and forth team over the years, but they’re solid this season, sitting at number 11 in the Top 25. With this game being against a ranked opponent AND on the road, not many MU fans are probably expecting a win this weekend.

Odom’s problem since taking over the team in 2016 has been that for whatever reason, his Tigers can’t beat ranked teams. Not only that, but MU has struggled immensely in conference play this year, posting an 0-4 record against SEC opponents in 2018.

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Last year, MU was in a similar boat, but went on a tear to close out the year. Florida wasn’t good last year, which gave the Tigers an easy win at home in early November. They finished the season going 4-4 in conference play and if Odom can match that this year, he should be safe for next year.

After this game, Missouri has three winnable games to close out the year and a bowl game should be manageable, but is that enough for Odom to stick around? It’s common for college programs to give coaches four years to try and get their recruits situated and whatnot, but will Odom get that fourth year?

Watching some of these games this season has been frustrating. Missouri should have won last week’s game against Kentucky, but poor play calling was their downfall. Even before then, the Tigers should have beaten South Carolina in a soggy game that took nearly all afternoon to play.

Missouri was never going to be a College Football Playoff team, but they should be 6-2 right now and not 4-4. No one expected them to beat Alabama or Georgia (though they were right in the thick of things with the Bulldogs), but South Carolina and a ranked Kentucky team that was on the ropes should have been MU victories.

Had Odom and his MU team taken care of business last week, we’re not talking about job stability for the guy heading into this Florida game. That would have been Odom’s signature win and he’s probably safe for the 2019 season.

Instead, Missouri could decide to cut bait and move on after this season. They do have a good chance to close things out on a high note, playing Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Arkansas to wrap up their 2018 season. Those are all winnable games and only one of them is on the road (and that’s in Knoxville against the Volunteers).

As of now, Mizzou football is a six-point underdog to Florida, according to Odds Shark. Considering Florida is ranked and this is a road game for MU, that’s a generous stat line. If Odom and his boys can knock the Gators off their perch, then he’ll finally have his signature win and that probably means he’s still in Columbia come next August.

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