Missouri Football: Best and worst case scenario for 2018

Missouri football has an elite quarterback and lots of potential. What are the best and worst case scenarios for the Tigers in 2018?

The arm of Drew Lock carries with it fate of the 2018 Missouri Tigers. Missouri’s rocket-armed passer is already flirting with a potential first-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, but first he’s back to Columbia for one more year.

One elite quarterback can make a world of difference in college football. Lock’s presence alone instant raises the ceiling of the program, but by what extent? What are the best and worse case scenarios for Missouri football in 2018?

Best case scenario

• Sep 1 – vs Tennessee-Martin – W
• Sep 8 – vs Wyoming – W
• Sep 15 – @ Purdue – W
• Sep 22 – vs Georgia – L
• Oct 6 – @ South Carolina – L
• Oct 13 – @ Alabama – L
• Oct 20 – vs Memphis – W
• Oct 27 – vs Kentucky – W
• Nov 3 – @ Florida – L
• Nov 10 – vs Vanderbilt – W
• Nov 17 – @ Tennessee – W
• Nov 23 – vs Arkansas – W

Result: 8-4

Winning six of seven home games should be Missouri’s goal this upcoming season. A Sep. 22 meeting with the Georgia Bulldogs will be excused, but potential toss-up games against the likes of Kentucky and Arkansas should serve to differentiate the Tigers from the rest of the pack in the increasingly challenging SEC East.

Worst case scenario

• Sep 1 – vs Tennessee-Martin – W
• Sep 8 – vs Wyoming – W
• Sep 15 – @ Purdue – W
• Sep 22 – vs Georgia – L
• Oct 6 – @ South Carolina – L
• Oct 13 – @ Alabama – L
• Oct 20 – vs Memphis – L
• Oct 27 – vs Kentucky – W
• Nov 3 – @ Florida – L
• Nov 10 – vs Vanderbilt – W
• Nov 17 – @ Tennessee – W
• Nov 23 – vs Arkansas – L

Result: 6-6

The worst-case scenario for Missouri is contingent on the health of Lock. If he goes down, not only is a respectable finish in the SEC East doubtful, the Tigers will find it extremely challenging to make a bowl game.

Even with Lock, it’s conceivable that Missouri struggles against their conference competition. Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia will all have, at worst, a slight talent gap over Mizzou. Throw in wildcard teams like Memphis (No. 2 scoring offense last season) and Arkansas (recently hired offensive guru Chad Morris) and things could get dicey.