SEC Football: Best and Worst-Case Scenario for Every Team in 2015

Oct 11, 2014; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Maty Mauk (7) is sacked by Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Jordan Jenkins (59) and linebacker Leonard Floyd (84) during the first half at Faurot Field. Georgia won 34-0. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Will the luck finally run out for the Missouri Tigers? After two surprise trips to the SEC Championship Game, there are plenty of reasons to believe that Mizzou will crash back to earth in 2015.

First, the Tigers simply aren’t as talented or as deep as Georgia or Tennessee in the East or Western Division rival Arkansas, and they are on even footing with South Carolina, Florida and Mississippi State. Even Kentucky is a threat to knock off the Tigers September 26 in Lexington, and a late season non-conference matchup with BYU in Kansas City is no picnic either.

Related: The Five Most Anticipated SEC Football Games of 2015

On offense, there are a few red flags. Mizzou scored 39.1 points per game and averaged 491 yards of total offense in 2013, but stumbled to 27.8 points and 367 yards on average last season. A big reason was the inconsistency of Mauk.

Because of his riverboat gambler style of play, Mauk has a tendency to turn the ball over (13 interceptions last year), and he only completed 53.1 percent of his passes. Sometimes, instead of channeling his inner Good Brett Favre, Mauk devolves into Bad Bo Wallace. Without his top four receivers from last season’s squad, Mauk may take even bigger risks in 2015, which increases the chances of disastrous results.

Also, Mizzou must replace arguably its three best defensive players from last season’s unit: defensive ends Shane Ray and Markus Golden and defensive back Braylon Webb. Ray and Golden combined for 24.5 sacks and Webb intercepted four passes, and now the replacement for each is at least a small downgrade in terms of overall talent.

Missouri’s Worst-Case Scenario: If the Tigers struggle to win SEC games, Missouri may not be bowl eligible, which could force the end the Gary Pinkel era

Next: Best-Case Scenario: Texas A&M