The SEC West has been the story of the season in the conference, but Missouri is looking to capture its second straight SEC East Division crown. Three years ago when the Tigers joined the SEC after leaving the Big 12, not many would have predicted that happening. Not at a time when Georgia and South Carolina have been taking control of the division and Florida usually a perennial threat and Tennessee fans just waiting for the Vols to mean something in the east again. But here we are in mid-November and Missouri is sitting in first place in the SEC East and with a chance to return to Atlanta for its second SEC Championship Game appearance.
While the success of Missouri should be praised, some are still trying to figure out just what the Tigers are doing. Is Missouri a legitimate power in the SEC East, or SEC? Or has this season been one fueled by luck and circumstance of a wide-open division. After all, this Missouri team was crushed at home by Georgia and defeated on its own field by an Indiana team that is now on the verge of being ineligible for postseason play. Can you figure this Missouri team out?
Missouri ranks 115th in passing offense and 64th in rushing offense, but the defense is 15th in scoring by allowing just 19.3 points per game. Winners of three straight games in SEC East play, and while Georgia was upset by Florida, Missouri is now in a decent position to wrap up the division over the next few weeks. They will have to thrive on the road though with road games at once-again-dangerous Texas A&M and Tennessee. The Aggies are coming off a big upset at Auburn and with Kyle Allen at quarterback appear to have new life, but let us see if Texas A&M is capable of carrying over that success. Tennessee could also be playing for its bowl eligibility when Missouri visits.
Missouri could be given a little help this weekend from Auburn, the team that defeated the Tigers in the SEC Championship Game last season. Auburn travels to Georgia this weekend. An Auburn win would give Missouri a little extra breathing room in the division race. As one college football writer suggests, Missouri could be the SEC’s Team Kryptonite in the College Football Playoff as well. Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Dispatch lays out the possibility of Missouri upsetting many in the SEC offices. Missouri winning the SEC championship could potentially take the SEC out of the four-team playoff field entirely. This is a scenario nobody would have seen coming when the playoff format was introduced, and to be fair it is still far from becoming a realistic possibility just yet. If Mississippi State is undefeated and loses to Missouri, perhaps the Bulldogs would still have a spot waiting for them anyway.
If you root for pure chaos in college football though, then Missouri is your new favorite team.
