Mizzou Football: Schedule could make Tigers contenders in SEC East
By Cullen Jekel
August & September: at Wyoming, vs West Virginia, vs SEMO, vs South Carolina, BYE
The Tigers begin their season with a winnable road game against the Wyoming Cowboys. But this season-opener won’t be a cake-walk. The Cowboys are led by head coach Craig Bohl, entering his sixth season in Laramie after coaching the North Dakota State Bison for 11 seasons, a tenure that concluded with three straight FCS championships.
While Bohl, the former linebackers coach at Nebraska under Tom Osborne before being named the defensive coordinator under Frank Solich, hasn’t had that type of success with the Cowboys, he’s still turning the team around, a task that many have failed at, including former Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen.
Bohl and the Cowboys were passed over by the Bowl Committee at the end of last season after finishing 6-6. Had that not happened, or had the team won just one more game, that would have been three straight seasons the Wyoming Cowboys had gone bowling.
Still, this is a game Missouri is expected to win. It’s also Kelly Bryant’s introduction as a Tiger. Expect a comfortable win by the Tigers, but not a blow-out by any means.
Missouri follows that up with the home opener against the West Virginia Mountaineers, a team with a new head coach, a new starting quarterback, and a new number one wide receiver, among other things. Gone are head coach Dana Holgorsen (Houston), quarterback Will Grier and wide receiver David Sills V, both drafted in April.
While the Mountaineers may have improved at head coach with the hiring of Neal Brown, don’t expect much from this team in 2019, especially early.
The following weekend, Missouri hosts Southeastern Missouri, i.e., SEMO. If the Tigers lose that game, well, then, may God have mercy on their souls. But expect this game to be a thrashing.