At the start of the 2024 College Football season, Eli Drinkwitz had his most talented roster yet at Missouri making the Tigers a College Football Playoff contender. As the Tigers lose Armand Membou, Brady Cook, Luther Burden III, Theo Wease, and others to the NFL, the team certainly takes a step back in terms of talent. While Missouri takes a step back with its roster, this team may actually have a clearer path to the College Football Playoff.
This offseason, Eli Drinkwitz went to work rebuilding his roster using the transfer portal to overhaul the team's identity. At Quarterback, the Tigers turn to Penn State transfer Beau Pribula, who's gotten valuable experience as the Nittany Lions' change-of-pace quarterback. Pribula will be joined by a talented duo of transfer playmakers in elite running back Ahmad Hardy and Wide Receiver Kevin Coleman Jr.
While Missouri's transfer portal additions will need to prove themselves, all in all, this team has the talent to compete with every team in the SEC. The roster may remain at the same level but, it may not be the reason this team has a better chance at making the College Football Playoff.
Why Missouri’s schedule could be the easiest path to the College Football Playoff
When you look at Missouri's schedule for the 2025 season, the Tigers have one of the easiest schedules in the Country. If Missouri loses any game in the Non-Conference portion of the season, it would be truly shocking, as they have that easy of a schedule. The Tigers are only tasked with facing off against Central Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana- Lafayette, and UMass.
Among their Non-Conference opponents, the only team that can truly put a scare into Missouri is Kansas. The Jayhawks are coming off a 5-7 season, where their lone Non-Conference win came over Lindenwood. In this new expanded College Football Playoff era, playing a strong schedule out of conference isn't needed and Missouri took the path of limiting their potential losses.
When SEC Play begins, the Tigers have an advantageous schedule compared to some of their SEC counterparts. Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas are projected to be among the bottom tier of teams. As long as the Tigers handle the weaker trio of games, it'll give them wiggle room with the rest of the SEC slate.
The Tigers will also face a trio of teams in the same tier as themselves, looking to prove they're a true contender, or they'll fall back to the bottom tier. Auburn is coming off an abysmal season and, like Missouri, will turn the keys over to a transfer quarterback. Texas A&M had a great chance to make the SEC Championship Game last year, but after losing a ton of talent on defense to the draft, they have holes that need to be addressed. Oklahoma was abysmal on offense last season, and while John Mateer will look to turn the group around, the offensive line will need to develop.
Missouri will have to face off against two true College Football Playoff front-runners in Alabama and South Carolina. In 2024, Alabama dismantled Missouri, but the Tigers played South Carolina tight, losing 34-30. Looking for a reason that Missouri could flip the results this season, Missouri played with its backup against Alabama, while South Carolina lost a ton of talent on defense.
Overall, Missouri's talent will need to gel as they try to blend transfer portal additions with the talent returning from last season if they're going to truly make a run at the College Football Playoff. The schedule does Missouri a ton of favors and if they're able to handle business, they'll only need to win a few coin flip games to make their way into the dance.