College Football 2011: 10 Off-the-Wall Predictions for Missouri Football
The 2010 season has come and gone, and it saw the Tigers defeat a BCS No. 1-ranked team before losing two tough conference road games and then falling to Iowa in the Insight Bowl in December.
With less than four months remaining until the '11 college football season, it's time to start looking at the newest edition of Missouri Tigers football.
This year's team will be without talented QB Blaine Gabbert and sackmaster Aldon Smith, who both decided to leave early for the NFL.
Missouri, however will return most of its defensive front seven and should field one of the better defenses in the conference again this season.
It will also likely be counting on new QB James Franklin to step into the shoes left by Gabbert and others from the past.
Without further ado, here are my wild predictions for the Tigers this season.
Enjoy.
James Franklin Will Have at Least 10 Rushing TDs
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Sophomore QB James Franklin will likely take over as the main signal caller for the Tigers in 2011, and he will be rushing the ball early and often.
Franklin is almost like the 2.0 version of former Mizzou star Brad Smith, as he is a threat through the air and on the ground.
In his senior year in high school, Franklin rushed for 1,282 yards, and his ability to pick up yards on the ground will be very valuable, considering that MU doesn't have a feature back as of now.
I expect him to get a lot of touchdowns on the ground this year for the Tigers.
T.J. Moe Will Have at Least 1,500 Receiving Yards
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The speedy, sure-handed Moe was a very reliable target for Blaine Gabbert last season, as he caught 92 passes for 1,045 yards and scored six TDs as well.
Moe also showed that he can break off the long catch-and-run from time to time last season, as he did in a sensational 68-yard game-winning touchdown against San Diego State.
This season, Moe will have a younger and more inexperienced QB in James Franklin, but other than All-American tight end Michael Egnew, the Tigers are thin on receiving threats.
I won't be surprised if he doesn't break 1,500 receiving yards, but I will be shocked if he doesn't come anywhere close to this mark.
Michael Egnew Will Have the Best Season Ever for a Missouri TE
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Last season, Missouri tight end Michael Egnew showed why he has to be accounted for every time Missouri has the ball on offense.
He had 90 catches for 762 yards and five touchdowns while garnering first-team All-American honors.
Egnew will be entering his senior season this fall, and I expect big things out of the Plainview, Texas native.
He will have his work cut out for him if he is going to outdo Chase Coffman's marvelous '08 season, but anything is possible.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Someone on the Defensive Line Will Have at Least 12 Sacks
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Last season, reserve defensive end Brad Madison had 7.5 sacks for the Tigers, and starting DE Jacquies Smith had 5.5 sacks as well.
One of these two might be due to break out and get double-digit sacks for Missouri this season.
A dark horse for this could also be sophomore Michael Sam, who racked up 3.5 sacks last season in limited playing time for Mizzou.
Which defensive lineman is going to step up and take the place of departed phenom Aldon Smith?
The Tigers Will Have the Nation's Best Scoring Defense
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Last season, Missouri wandered into unfamiliar territory, as it finished sixth in the country in scoring defense, giving up an average of just over 16 points a game.
For 2011, Mizzou will have most of its defensive starters back from a season ago, including All-Big 12 defensive lineman Brad Madison and hard-hitting inside linebacker Luke Lambert, who was given another season after being granted a medical redshirt from the NCAA.
Even with the loss of all-everything defensive end Aldon Smith, the Tigers should be just as good or even better without him this coming season.
They Will Go Undefeated at Home
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Mizzou will have another tough home schedule in '11, but it is definitely capable of winning every game.
The Tigers didn't lose a game at home last season while playing some competition that could be considered just as good as this coming year, which gives some hope for this prediction.
Faurot Field can be an intimidating place to play for opponents, and Missouri plans to keep it that way in 2011.
If the Tigers can go undefeated at home this season, the key game will be on November 12th against the Texas Longhorns.
They Will Beat Oklahoma Again
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Before their matchup last season, Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel was 0-7 in his seven career meetings with Oklahoma.
Pinkel and the Tigers were able to prevail and not only upset the Sooners, but they also showed the rest of the conference and nation that it is possible to beat the Sooners after all.
This season, MU and Pinkel will have a much tougher test, as they will have to travel to Norman and knock off OU on the road, something that hasn't been done for a long time.
Missouri will have its hands full, but if the Tigers can execute last year's game plan against OU when they play Oklahoma in '11, they will accomplish the unthinkable task of beating Oklahoma on the road.
They Will Win the Big 12
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This appears to be a daunting task, considering the fact that Missouri has never won a Big 12 title in the 15 years that the conference has existed.
This year will be much different, considering the fact that Mizzou will have to win the conference title outright, since there will only be 10 teams in the Big 12 after the departures of Nebraska and Colorado.
Winning the conference in this way, presents a whole new challenge to not only Missouri, but the other nine teams as well.
It might be a long shot, but the Tigers might also be due for their first conference crown.
They Will Be Ranked in the Top 10 at Some Point
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Every year, many college football teams are over-hyped at the start of the season, and this could be Missouri's only shot to be ranked in the Top 10 all season.
With its tough early schedule, Missouri might have to wait a while before it will be ranked among the 10 best teams in the nation during the 2011 campaign.
Games at Arizona State in Week 2 and at Oklahoma in Week 4 could go a long way in determining the level of success or failure that the Tigers have this coming season.
This isn't to say that the Top 10 is not obtainable for the Tigers—just that the odds are against them to achieve this goal.
They Will Play in and Win a BCS Game
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As you can see, the picture for this slide is of Missouri's last bowl game victory, against Arkansas in the 2007 Cotton Bowl.
Hopefully this picture will be replaced with a few new images depicting a Missouri win in a BCS game in 2011.
This is a tall order indeed, considering that Missouri has never been in a BCS game, let alone won one.
Only time will tell if this will be the year that the Missouri football program will finally get its first BCS berth, but here's to saying that the Tigers have a chance.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
