College Football

2024 Missouri football predictions: Ranked No. 10 by RJ Young

Updated Aug. 12, 2024 10:22 a.m. ET

FOX Sports National College Football Analyst

[Check out RJ Young's ultimate 134 college football rankings here]

Conference ranking: 5th in SEC (+1800 to win conference)
Teams ahead of them: Alabama (9), Michigan (8), LSU (7), Ole Miss (6), Florida State (5)
Teams behind them: Oklahoma (11), Utah (12), Tennessee (13), Penn State (14), Oklahoma State (15)

[Missouri 2024 schedule]

RJ's take: After defeating a depleted Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, the football scheduling gods saw fit to give the Tigers the softest schedule in the SEC. Not only do Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers avoid Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas and LSU, but will play half of their games against teams with head coaches in their first year.

With Brady Cook and Luther Burden returning, Drinkwitz could end up with a 3,500-yard passer and 1,500-yard receiver on a team that will not face a preseason top 25 opponent until Week 6 (A&M) and won’t play more than three (Oklahoma, Alabama) all year. Theo Wease is capable of being a go-to target if Burden draws 1-on-1s, but so is All-Slept-On tight end Brett Norfleet is going to matchup against undersized DBs and slow linebackers at 6-foot-7, 235 pounds.

Yes, they lost walk-on-to-All-American star running back Cody Schrader, but added Georgia State transfer Marcus Carroll, perhaps the best G5 tailback in the country last year with 1,350 rush yards at 4.9 per rush.

Defensively, Corey Batoon takes over for Baker after coordinating a South Alabama defense that was ranked 15th in the country in total offense allowed and 26th in takeaways with 22 in 2023. If 6-foot-6, 260-pound five-star freshman Williams Nwaneri plays early, expect the Tiger defensive line to hunt.

Missouri's Total Win Odds: Over 9.5 (+135) Under 9.5 (-160)

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