After an 11-win breakthrough last season, Missouri sets its sights on the college football playoff

Updated Aug. 20, 2024 6:10 a.m. ET

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III made it perfectly clear just how high expectations are in Columbia this season for the 11th-ranked Tigers.

“What I’m trying to do this year that I haven't done,” he said, “is win the big national championship.”

What a change from a year ago, when the Tigers were trying to make sure Eli Drinkwitz didn't lose his job.

But after Burden teamed with quarterback Brady Cook and a stout defense to win 11 games and beat Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, and finish eighth in the final AP Top 25, everything is different around the program. Drinkwitz and offensive coordinator Kirby Moore suddenly have new contracts, a bevy of starters return this season — led by Burden, a Heisman Trophy candidate and potential first-round NFL draft pick — and the expectation now is to compete for an SEC championship.

Or even more, a run in the playoffs.

“Last year our motto formed into ‘something to prove.’ I'm sure you guys have heard it. We lived by it,” Cook said. "And we still do. Although we had a good year last year and accomplished a few things, we still have to go out and prove it this year.

“For the guys that came back, for the team we have now, 2024 is all that matters,” he continued. “That's the record that's going to be talked about. These are the games that are going to be talked about. No one is going to talk about the Cotton Bowl versus Ohio State moving forward. It's in the past. It's in the history books.”

In other words, it's time for the Tigers to make some more history.

They haven't played for a conference championship in a decade, when then-coach Gary Pinkel's bunch was beaten by Alabama for the SEC title. They haven't won a league championship since 1969, when Dan Devine was roaming the sidelines.

Yet those are the kind of goals that Missouri has in mind this season.

“Our No. 1 core value for us is always compete, to do it better than it’s ever been done before,” Drinkwitz said. “It really is not about anybody else except our own internal drive and expectations to be the very best that we can be. And so we don’t rely on exterior noise and exterior factors to provide our motivation. We’re motivated every day.”

In charge of the defense

The Tigers lost defensive coordinator Blake Baker, who played a big part in the resurrection of that side of the ball, to SEC-rival LSU. To replace him, Drinkwitz hired South Alabama defensive coordinator Corey Batoon, whose scheme is fairly similar and who has plenty of high-level experience. He's even spent time in the SEC at Ole Miss.

Throw it this way

Cook went from a polarizing quarterback among Missouri fans to a star-in-the-making last season, when he threw for 3,317 yard while exhibiting a gritty sort of toughness. He could have another big season with Burden, veteran wide receivers Theo Wease Jr. and Mookie Cooper and tight end Brett Norfleet back.

Run it that way

Cody Schrader went from Division II transfer to the SEC's leading rusher last season, but he'll spend the fall trying to make it with the San Francisco 49ers. Missouri will try to replace him with a committee led by Georgia State transfer Marcus Carroll and Appalachian State transfer Nate Noel. It also will be replacing two blockers, including star left tackle Javon Foster.

In Kirby they trust

Drinkwitz stepped back from play-calling duties last season and hired Moore away from Fresno State to run the offense. The Tigers responded in such a big way that Moore was promptly given a hefty raise. His system excels at getting playmakers such as Burden the ball in space, and his flexibility will be crucial until the run game finds its legs.

The schedule

If the Tigers are serious about making a run at the playoffs, their accommodating schedule should help. They can build a bit of momentum beginning with Murray State on Aug. 29 and Buffalo the next week, then ramp up the difficulty with Boston College before the SEC begins. The Tigers visit Texas A&M on Oct. 5 and Alabama on Oct. 26, but they avoid Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss while getting Auburn, old Big 12 foe Oklahoma and Arkansas at home.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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