Missouri Tigers 2016 NCAA Football Preview
MISSOURI TIGERS
Southeastern Conference – East Division
2015 Record – 5-7
ATS – 3-9
2016 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating Rank
East Division #4 (Tie)
Conference #11 (Tie)
2015 Recap
Well that escalated quickly. After consecutive seasons in the SEC Title Game the Tigers fell almost completely off the map with a 5-7 season and an offense that was pretty offensive. They went three straight games in the middle of the season without scoring a TD and followed that up by scoring 11 points in the last two games combined. Now to be fair, the defense played incredibly well, especially considering they were on the field for an eternity every game. Barry Odom takes over as HC for 2016.
2016 Preview
OFFENSE
Last season was Exhibit A in terms of what an offense looks like when you cannot block anybody. This year the Tigers have one of the most inexperienced offensive lines in all of college football. When you combine that with a young QB and no returning receiver who recorded over 350 yards in 2015, it is not hard to imagine tough sledding ahead.
If indeed the Tigers struggle to run the ball once again this season there is going to be a lot of pressure on QB Drew Lock to move the chains. Hopefully, new OC Josh Heupel can get the most out of Lock’s natural ability.
DEFENSE
The Tigers lose star LB Kentrell Brothers but return a lot of really good players to the defense in 2016. They appear loaded from the defensive line all the way to the secondary. Missouri was ranked 6th in the FBS in total defense and 2nd in tackles for loss. They only managed 28 sacks (44 and 41 previous two seasons) but that was due in large part to opponents not needing to throw the ball as often. The defense looks to be really good again this season and should be able to keep them in most games.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Missouri boasts an excellent punter in Corey Fatony but unfortunately loses their reliable PK Andrew Baggett who finished up his career at Missouri just eight points shy of the Tigers’ all-time scoring record (Jeff Wolfert). The return game was nothing special last season and hopefully they can find more explosive plays in this area in 2016.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 4.0
MEGALOCKS says:
The Tigers are going to have to be considered as a play ATS most weeks just based on the quality of the defense they can put on the field. Of course anyone that remembers the weekly DEBACLE on offense last season is going to be hard pressed to back Missouri in 2016. That introduces the possibility of value.
Overall, we give the TIGERS a 4.0 ATS Value Rating (Below Average) this season. If the offense surprises significantly to the upside our prediction is going to look foolish. However, the rebuild on the offensive line and the new coaching faces across the board make us think it will be a tall order to finish with an ATS record over .500. The best play is probably to look for scenarios where they are catching a lot of points as an underdog.
Want more Missouri Tigers football?
Website
http://www.mutigers.com/index.aspx?path=football
Forum
http://www.secrant.com/rant/mizzou-sports/
http://tigerboard.com/boards/list.php?board=2
https://missouri.forums.rivals.com/
http://interact.stltoday.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=13
News
http://bleacherreport.com/missouri-tigers-football
http://www.columbiatribune.com/sports/mu_football/
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/sec/university-of-missouri/
https://twitter.com/MizzouFootball (@MizzouFootball) #Mizzou
https://twitter.com/Dave_Matter (@Dave_Matter) Dave Matter
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