Late-season Mizzou football check-in: Team MVPs, season highlights & bowl projections

It was break time for Missouri football. The Tigers, after eight weeks of the regular season, were off last week. Now, No. 1 Georgia awaits on Saturday.

That represents the start of the last third of the regular season.

Here are some thoughts about Missouri football after two-thirds of its season has played out...

Mizzou football season recap to date

At 7-1, Missouri has put itself squarely in the discussion for a New Year’s Six Bowl. I don’t want to disqualify the College Football Playoff, but that involves winning out and getting some help.

In the case of a New Year’s Six Bowl, MU would need to beat one of Tennessee or Georgia and rely on the rest of the SEC to cannibalize itself — instead of needing the SEC, Big Ten and Pac-12 to court massive chaos.

The fact Missouri is in this position after last season, heck the last two seasons, is incredible.

But MU still needs to take care of business. I’ve written on this before: that the Tigers needed to play a complete game of football to enjoy a successful November.

A good way to get there is by being as healthy as possible. The open week came at a perfect time and allowed Missouri to do exactly that. The Tigers are in perfect shape to compete in the next four weeks against Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Arkansas.

Missouri football superlatives

Offensive MVP: Brady Cook

Drinkwitz needed to get this decision right. He did.

I credit Cook, who stuck with the program when he did not have to, and turned out to be the quarterback that Missouri needed. He’s thrown for 2,259 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s second in the SEC in passing yards and touchdowns.

Cook didn’t need to be an All-SEC quarterback to push Missouri forward, but he’s become a player who could make that list. It’s exactly why MU is 7-1.

You could make an argument that Luther Burden is the Most Valuable Player since he’s one of the best receivers in the nation. But Cook is the guy getting Burden the ball. If Cook didn’t emerge, then Burden might not have the numbers he has.

Defensive MVP: Kris Abrams-Draine

On a defense that has so many standout players, the easiest route is to just choose the player who is statistically the best.

That would be Kris Abrams-Draine.

Per Pro Football Focus, Abrams-Draine has allowed a 38% completion rate, intercepted four passes, broken up eight passes and allowed a 31.3 passer rating. The stats themselves don’t tell how important Abrams-Draine is to this defense, but these stats are what will be continuously discussed come NFL Draft time, because Abrams-Draine has played himself into the second round with a chance to improve his stock further.

“When you look at his body of work, his consistency, there’s been very few times where he’s been out of position,” MU defensive coordinator Blake Baker said.

Best Moment: Mevis’ Magic

You can’t deny it. A 61-yard field goal for the win to beat No. 15 Kansas State at Faurot Field was the moment that has defined the season so far for MU. The game-winning field goal lifted the Tigers to 3-0 and propelled MU to a 7-1 record.

Perhaps a better moment is yet to come?

College football observations

We’re turning the page to November in college football. Here are some observations about the 2023 season outside of Missouri, starting with the most overrated teams in the AP preseason top 25...

The SEC has had plenty of entries and exits in the top 25. Kentucky and Florida immediately come to mind.

The teams that really fit that bill are USC and Clemson. The Trojans have fallen to No. 24 overall from No. 6, having lost to Notre Dame in blowout fashion and Utah in heartbreaking fashion. Clemson has had a free-fall, going from the program that once was one of three regular contenders in college football to 4-4 after losing to NC State.

These two were supposed to be contenders this season. For two reasons, they’re not.

USC’s defense is just bad. It’s a prime example of how one side of the ball can’t be counted on to carry a team, no matter who’s at quarterback.

Clemson, on the other hand, is a program that doesn’t embrace the new age of college football. While Clemson recruited at an apex level, the coaching staff hasn’t embraced the transfer portal as other programs like Missouri have.

It’s an example of how different the game is now. It’s also an example of how well Missouri has navigated this modern era.

There are plenty of successful turnaround stories outside of Boulder

Sure, Colorado’s 4-4 record is much better and more exciting than a one-win season, which is where the Buffaloes were last year. But that’s not the best story of the college football season.

Miami-Ohio went from 6-7 last season to 7-2 so far in 2023. Georgia State was 4-8 last season and is now 6-2.

However, the best turnaround of this season might go to a team led by someone very familiar with Missouri. UNLV went 5-7 last season, fired its coach and hired ex-UM coach Barry Odom.

Odom has the Rebels at 6-2, bowl-eligible for the first time since 2013 and on the cusp of UNLV’s first winning season since 2013 (and second since 2000). Odom has turned around a program that’s historically been terrible.

College Football Playoff picks

1. Georgia

There’s no stopping the Bulldogs’ juggernaut squad. Not until someone proves otherwise.

2. Ohio State

The winner of The Game will advance to the Big Ten championship game and stay undefeated. For the last two years, it’s been Michigan. This year, I’ll take the Buckeyes, which have a top-15 road win. That’s something the Wolverines do not have. They do have an ongoing scandal, though.

3. Florida State

The Seminoles have Pitt, Miami, North Alabama and Florida on their schedule. The ACC doesn’t look rather dangerous, either. I’d expect FSU to take care of business against Louisville or whichever team it faces in the conference championship game.

4. Washington

It’s true, Washington has the hardest remaining schedule of these four teams; the next three teams Washington plays are ranked in the top 25. But the Huskies are also one of just five undefeated teams remaining. They also have a top-10 win and one of the best quarterbacks in the nation.

Missouri football bowl prediction

Plenty has to go right for Missouri to get a New Year’s Six berth. Much more has to go right for MU to even think about the playoff.

Given what we’ve seen from Missouri, considering MU’s remaining schedule and the rest of the SEC’s schedule, I like the Tigers in the Music City Bowl.

If Missouri can beat Tennessee, and assuming Georgia takes care of business, then the Tigers will have an SEC record of 6-2. That should be good enough to get Missouri into the TransPerfect Music City Bowl in Nashville against a Big Ten team.

The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.