vs. Missouri State: W 44-17
The Mizzou defense will naturally take some time to wake up. It'll be 17-10 at the end of the 1st, and then Mizzou beats the brakes off of them (think of the Eastern Michigan game).

vs. South Carolina: W 50-48 (3 OT)
USCe is definitely a sleeper team IMO. I think they'll likely swap spots with Tennessee in the projected SEC East standings at the end of the year (#4 ish). Everyone seems to forget about the playmakers that they have, such as Skai Moore, Deebo Samuel, and Andre Ware's crush, Jake Bentley. It will be a back-and-forth affair all game, but then Crockett plunges in from 1 yard to win it. Not to mention, Mizzou and Carolina is almost always a bloodbath.

vs. Purdue: W 38-16
Mizzou will ride the momentum from the close win vs. SCAR and crush the Boilermakers. Purdue, with a 1st year HC, will play inconsistent and sloppy as Brohm tries to change the culture of the program. Our defense gives up some big plays, but returns the favor with multiple takeaways.

vs. Auburn: W 26-20
This will not be on College Gameday like some are saying, but it is still a premier game in a primetime spot on ESPN. The Zou will be rocking for the first time since October '15 and the environment will be insane. We get off to a hot start, hitting two long TD's early. But our inability to get consistent movement up front will make us a little stale offensively. Our defensive line really steps up to the challenge and limits Pettway to 3 yards a pop. Eventually, we score a late rushing TD on a long drive (think UGA 2016). This plunges us into the top 25, but this will be a little less impressive at the end of the season as Auburn disappoints.

at Kentucky: W 41-31
Riding the wild emotions of two close victories and an appearance at #25 in the rankings, Mizzou comes out playing overemotional and UK gets off to a hot start. Then, Kentucky suddenly can't match TD's in the shootout, punting just a few more times than Mizzou. This is a scary game, but we pull away with a late FG to defeat the Cats.

at Georgia: L 24-17
This is a huge game. College Gameday. Coming off of a BYE. Eason vs. Lock II. UGA will be in the top 10 after beating a once-again overrated Notre Dame team on the road convincingly. The entire game is brutal. Just an absolute war in the trenches. Mizzou struggles to stop the Eason/Nauta combo and eventually Mizzou gets sucked up on a PAP and Eason boots us back out of the top 25.

vs. Idaho: W 55-35
After a bodybag game vs. UGA, Mizzou's defense gets gashed by the Vandals. Frustration is definitely the theme, after a disappointing loss on a primetime loss and multiple blown defensive assignments as a result of freshmen and sophomores having to step up, we just look ugly. But Idaho can't match the Tigers' offense and we pull away and dominate in the 2nd half.

at UConn: W 35-14
Once again, we come out flat. It's an away game in a small stadium after a long flight. Very reminiscent of the 2015 Arkansas State game. We're all tied up at halftime, 14-14. Then somebody lights a fire in the team and Mizzou goes on to score 14 unanswered points to win the game.

vs. Florida: L 35-21
As the Gators head into town, we still are stuck with the negativity of the past 3 games. We know we should be playing better if we want to get back to Atlanta. We simply try to do too much, and the Gators seem to get the ball bouncing their way. We make some stupid mistakes and Zaire makes us pay.

vs. Tennessee: L 45-38 (OT)
Same story as Florida. Our young guys are forced to step up and try to do too much. This loss isn't as much about the Vols as it is us not getting our heads out of our arses. The big plays haunt our defense. We force multiple long-yardage situations but the Vols seem to have answers for all of them.

at Vanderbilt: W 21-10
The Tigers get back on track. It's an ugly win, but it's a win. The Dores present a challenge to us offensively that we haven't seen this season. They confuse our OL with multiple fronts, stunts, and blitzes. They play such tight man coverage that RPO's are difficult to complete. But Crockett/Witter/Strong run amok on Vandy and grit the win out. It's an ugly one, but it's enough to get our heads back on straight before we head into Fayetteville.

at Arkansas: W 37-34
Like us, the Razorbacks end up surprising the SEC. Carried by Austin Allen, Devwah Whaley, Dre Greenlaw, and Sosa Agim, Arky is HOT. Bert is coaching his tail off. We roll into Fayetteville and the game is a 60-minute fistfight. The game is a defensive battle, with the score being tied at 13 at the half. Then, the defenses wear out. Whaley and Crockett pound the opposing defenses into submission. Late in the game, McCann kicks the game-winning field goal on the road to give us a 9-3 regular season record.

Bowl Game:

Belk Bowl: Missouri (9-3) vs. Louisville (9-3) L 40-26
Louisville presents a tough matchup. They have a gritty team with multiple felons and obviously, a Heisman QB. Jackson simply runs wild on us, and we suffer from just-happy-to-be-there syndrome. The Cardinals come in with a chip on their shoulders and make a statement.

Overall, I think we can be pretty good this year. I believe the media is very lazy toward certain teams such as us, Arkansas, and USCe. They seem to believe that we don't even exist and we never stand a chance. I believe this is the year that the three teams I mentioned give the finger to the media and UGA/Auburn/UT are once again not as good as projected.