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It’s okay if you weren’t on board before, but get on board now

Fandom is a weird personal thing but this is a good Mizzou team. Here are today’s Mizzou Links.

By Sam Snelling
NCAA Football: Arkansas at Missouri Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

I’m never going to tell you when it’s appropriate to get on or off a bandwagon because ultimately how you spend your time is up to you.

Answering the question about fan attendance is like opening a Pandora’s box

But Ben Frederickson went there with his most recent column:

There is no denying the future looked grim for the third-year coach earlier in this much-anticipated season. The Tigers started SEC play with a three-game losing streak that included a dreadful collapse in a monsoon at South Carolina. Then the Tigers, with the help of one of the worst officiating mistakes you will find, snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in an unforgettable home loss to Kentucky. Many made up their minds on the team and its coach after that one. And to be fair, that loss to Kentucky was absolutely the kind of loss that can get a coach fired — if his team doesn’t turn it into a turning point.

Missouri is in the same place as a lot of colleges. They aren’t a blue blood, so the championship expectation doesn’t exist. You have to hire well and out execute the programs ahead of you and that provides for a wider variety of outcomes, leaving fans to be a little more leery.

Through the tough stretch I felt like I became the default defender of the direction of the program. Maybe it was pollyanna, maybe it was foresight, but more than anything I remember year one under Barry Odom. 2015 and 2016 were both tough years with a few bright memories sprinkled in just to keep the optimists hopeful.

Bill C’s S&P+

  • 2015: 83rd overall, 123 (O), 10th (D)
  • 2016: 69th overall, 42 (O), 89th (D)
  • 2017: 35th overall, 13th (O), 90th (D)
  • 2018: 23rd overall, 15th (O), 45th (D)*

*data not updated through the weekends games

Football is really a flukey game. A few plays here and there can provide or diminish hope. The Tigers had several negative plays and results so I get why the desperation set in after their four losses in five games. Missouri fans were already skeptical of this team going into the season mostly because the Tigers had feasted on the teams they were supposed to beat, and struggled against all others.

This season Mizzou ran off nine straight games against opponents who are now eligible for bowl games and they went 5-4 in those games. The offense was capable of controlling the ball and being efficient and suddenly the defense got stronger and some leaders emerged.

There’s real reason for appreciation for what’s happened this season. There’s real reason to think this season is one Missouri can still build upon.

They’re going to play in a really good bowl and get some more field and developmental time for a lot of young and talented guys. Looking ahead Missouri graduates Drew Lock, leaving a giant hole at Quarterback and there are a few spots in the Offensive line which need replacing. But there were a lot of young guys making plays down the stretch and some real excitement for the kind of program Odom is building.

Your post game-day links:

Improving defense? Young runners going nuts? Seniors accomplishing things? These are all good things in a season that was full of a lot of good things.

Bad things happen to most everyone in college football and over the last few years (and yes, we all know about the past), but with the season a bowl game away from being over let’s just enjoy the good that’s happened here.

Yesterday at Rock M

Mizzou Football hands out awards:

More:

Here’s how the SEC finished its last official week:

  • Alabama 52, Auburn 21
  • Clemson 56, South Carolina 35
  • Georgia 41, Georgia Tech 14
  • Kentucky 56, Louisville 10
  • Vanderbilt 38, Tennessee 13
  • Mississippi State 35, Ole Miss 3

It looks like Mizzou is a good bet for the Music City Bowl at this point, which a trip to Nashville would be more than solid. The Outback is a possibility but a long shot, and the Liberty is still there. The Outback is always a good bowl but if it’s the Music City I’m happy.

  • After a bad loss to Michigan, the Mizzou women turned the page and took care of Quinnipiac, they face Duke in the consolation finals today at 12:30pm:

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