The news barely caused a ripple, not even a curl of a defiant lip from the Missouri football coaching staff this week during their annual summer camp at William Jewell College.</p><p>Phil Steele, the author of Phil Steele&#8217;s College Football Preview, predicted two-time North champion Missouri to finish fifth in the Big 12 North &#8212; ahead of only Iowa State and behind Kansas State and Colorado.</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s one man&#8217;s opinion,&#8221; said MU offensive coordinator David Yost, adding, &#8220;What&#8217;s his name?&#8221;</p><p>MU defensive coordinator Dave Steckel took no apparent umbrage.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t predict football games,&#8221; Steckel said. &#8220;God bless Phil.&#8221;</p><p>Head coach Gary Pinkel seemed not to break stride, even in acknowledging the obvious.</p><p>In some quarters there remains doubt that Missouri &#8212; despite the success of the last few seasons &#8212; is a year-in, year-out force in the Big 12 North.</p><p>Sure, the Tigers sent tight end Chase Coffman, receivers Jeremy Maclin and Tommy Saunders, defensive lineman Ziggy Hood and William Moore to NFL camps. Possibly more &#8212; like quarterback Chase Daniel and kicker Jeff Wolfert &#8212; will wind up there.</p><p>But who will replace those college standouts? And will the likes of quarterback Blaine Gabbert, tight end Andrew Jones and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon measure up?</p><p>It is a question that seemingly still is being asked about some teams &#8212; like Missouri &#8212; while not so much about others, including a Nebraska team that may have lost every bit as much as Missouri from a team that was crushed 52-17 by the Tigers last year.</p><p>&#8220;There are people out there that still, apparently, they kind of view us as a program where consistency of winning at a high level is a question mark,&#8221; Pinkel said. &#8220;Obviously, there&#8217;s a lack of respect.&#8221;</p><p>Part of the quandary of evaluating Missouri&#8217;s upcoming prospects goes beyond the amount of talent lost from last season&#8217;s 10-4 squad, and the previous year&#8217;s 12-2 Cotton Bowl champion team.</p><p>Yost and Steckel are making their debuts as coordinators. Are these two veteran assistants up to the job of showing the way for so many new players?</p><p>Will Missouri be the same mad-scientist offense without Dave Christensen?</p><p>&#8220;It changes,&#8221; Yost said. &#8220;But more of the change will happen because of personnel. What&#8217;s the best for our quarterback (projected starter Gabbert)? What do the other players do best?</p><p>&#8220;The things we ask Andrew Jones to do will not be designed off what Chase Coffman did.&#8221;</p><p>Missouri will still pass, of course. But the Tigers will likely run more, and stay with the run longer than in the past.</p><p>&#8220;You use what you&#8217;ve got and you put the ball in your playmakers&#8217; hands,&#8221; Yost said. &#8220;(Tailbacks) Derrick Washington and De&#8217;Vion Moore, the guys that have earned and shown the right, they get the touches. The other guys are going to have to earn the right.&#8221;</p><p>Missouri will run some plays &#8212; most on the goal line &#8212; with its quarterback lined up under center, again because of current personnel.</p><p>&#8220;Blaine Gabbert, Jimmy Costello, Blaine Dalton, those guys have all played under center,&#8221; Yost said.</p><p>The change, at least in perception, could be more obvious on defense.</p><p>In Steckel instead of the departed Matt Eberflus, Missouri&#8217;s defensive mentality may seem more that of an attacking linebacker than a retreating safety.</p><p>In spring football, several veteran players noted a harder, no-nonsense persona out of Steckel. A sort of do-the-job-or-he&#8217;ll-get-someone-who-will.</p><p>Steckel admits that is the demand he makes of himself.</p><p>&#8220;I guess that just trickles down to the kids,&#8221; Steckel said.</p><p>The collapse of the Missouri defense in a 40-37 Border War loss to Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium opened a wound that still appears to be raw. However, Steckel noted that Missouri wound up third in the Big 12 in scoring defense.</p><p>&#8220;We weren&#8217;t a bad defense,&#8221; Steckel said. &#8220;But I guess perception is reality.&#8221;</p><p>There&#8217;s no getting around the notion that the perception is that Missouri has slipped, and perhaps badly.</p><p>&#8220;As a team, this will be the most athletic team we&#8217;ve had,&#8221; Pinkel predicted. &#8220;Whenever there is a transition at quarterback, there are always big question marks.</p><p>&#8220;Someone said to me the other day, &#8216;Bet you&#8217;re worried and concerned going into next year.&#8217;</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m always concerned. You know that. But I don&#8217;t sit around worrying about stuff.&#8221;