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The case for - and against - Missouri returning to Atlanta
The Missouri Tigers are coming off an SEC East winning season but head into the season with glaring questions at receiver and on the defensive line and are currently being projected behind Georgia in the preseason division ranks. Should familiar? It should, as the same lines were used heading into the 2014 season that saw the Tigers win their second SEC East title in a row.
Can Mizzou realistically win their division for the third time in only four tries? ESPN recently debated the pros and cons of picking the Tigers to repeat in the East.
Maty Mauk returns and should be healthier
Despite the hype surrounding Joshua Dobbs and NFL scouts intrigued by Patrick Towles' size and potential, Missouri returns the quarterback with the most experience and success in the division this season. Mauk appeared to be a future Heisman candidate his freshman season, as he came off the bench to throw for 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions. However, injuries and inconsistent play have made Mauk somewhat of an afterthought coming into the season. Mauk certainly has the talent and rare playmaking ability to lead Missouri back to Atlanta, but will he put it all together is the question.
Coaching
For those unaware, Gary Pinkel has more wins on the Mizzou sideline than any other coach in the program's storied history. Defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski is regarded as one of the best in the nation, as he routinely gets the most from his unit and has been sending player after player to the NFL in recent seasons. While the Tigers did hire a new defensive coordinator in Barry Odom, formerly of Memphis, he helped a downtrodden program to a defensive renaissance at Memphis, as the team went 10-3 in 2014. Pinkel and his staff have shown they have the ability to develop talent and consistently win games against teams that are believed to be more talented. Will we see more of the same this season?
The schedule (and who Mizzou doesn't play)
Missouri gets Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi State and South Carolina all at home this season. The away league games, Kentucky, Vandy, Arkansas and Georgia, include three tests, but the Tigers could win them all. While the game in Athens could very well determine the winner of the division, last season's 34-0 win didn't help earn the Bulldogs the East last season and this season could be the same, as Georgia plays both Alabama and Auburn this season. With Tennessee drawing Alabama and Arkansas, if the West sweep both those series, Mizzou could find themselves in the driver seat for the division yet again.
The case against Missouri winning the East?
The Georgia Bulldogs
At some point all that talent has got to come together, right? They could have the Heisman Trophy winner in Nick Chubb, they have one of the best defensive coordinators in the game with an enormous amount of talent at his disposal, including the number one overall prospect of 2015 lining up on the defensive line, and a favorable road schedule, having to play only Vandy, Auburn and Tennessee in league play. Plus the Bulldogs did destroy the Tigers on the road last season.
Question marks at DL/WR
Missouri lost two more linemen to the NFL Draft this offseason and may have lost their best returning player as Harold Brantley was involved in a serious car accident this offseason. How will the Tigers replace all three of those players? If there's a team that can manage this, it would be the Tigers. In addition, the Tigers only return 10 career receptions at receiver. Once again Mauk will have to quickly develop a rapport with players that have little to no on field experience. Will the team be able to overcome both these hurdles in two consecutive seasons?
(h/t ESPN)
