Why Missouri could be a candidate for regression in 2024
The Missouri Tigers were one of the biggest surprise stories of the 2023-2024 college football season. They ended their year with a splash, defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes 14-3 in the Cotton Bowl. It was unquestionably one of the best seasons in school history.
Unfortunately, on Thursday’s edition of Andy Staples On3, Ralph Russo broke down why he thinks the Tigers are a prime candidate to take a step back in 2024.
Why Missouri could be in for a down year in 2024
“Every time the preseason AP Poll comes out, I always tell people, two of those Top 10 teams are probably going to be unranked. Because that’s what the numbers say over the years,” Russo noted.
While he admits the Tigers have plenty of talent coming back, they also lost a ton of elite players in the offseason.
“Where I look for disappointments is I tend to find the teams that were last year’s surprises. And maybe bake in some regression,” Russo said. “So, Missouri. Missouri jumps out to me, Andy. Hey, listen, they’ve got a lot of good stuff coming back here. They’re losing their left tackle, one of the best pass rushers in the SEC, two good corners, Cody Schrader.”
Cody Schrader is one of the toughest running backs in the nation to replace. He shredded opposing defenses to the tune of 276 carries for 1,627 yards and 14 touchdowns. He earned first-team All-Americans after exploding onto the scene his senior year with the Tigers.
Schrader etched his name in Missouri program history, becoming the school’s single-season rushing yardage leader.
That being said, Missouri does return one of the best quarterback-wide receiver tandems in Brady Cook and Luther Burden III. Burden has been among the nation’s elite dating back to his high school days and he didn’t disappoint last year, hauling in 86 catches for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns.
“So, I’m gonna bake in some regression for Mizzou and think that while they’ll probably start the year as a fringe Top 10 team, that that’s a team that I could see only maybe winning eight games,” Russo said. “Especially in a new bulked up SEC. Their schedule isn’t crazy over the top. But it’s pretty tough. And so, I’m gonna bake in some regression for Mizzou. That’s my first one.”
While the Tigers schedule isn’t completely stacked, there’s still some really tough games. They’ll go to Alabama on Oct. 26. They’ll also face Oklahoma on Nov. 9. South Carolina is never an easy place to play and Missouri will play there on Nov.16.
It’ll be fascinating to see how the Tigers follow up one of the most successful seasons in program history.