The Missouri Tigers had modest outside expectations set for them in 2023. The SEC media picked them sixth in the seven-team East Division. The sportsbooks set their regular season win total at six.
Missouri went 11-2 last season, its losses coming by 10 at home to No. 23 LSU (it was a three-point game before a pick-six with 34 seconds left) and by nine on the road at No. 1 Georgia. The Tigers finished second in the East, capping the season with a 14-3 win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
The expectations were modest for a reason. Based on what we collectively knew about Missouri, coming off a 6-7 season in 2022, it looked like a solid program that might top out at solid again in 2023. There was nothing about the Tigers that said a five-win improvement was coming.
But there was one measurable trait that indicated conditions were favorable for a jump in Columbia. It’s a trait TCU had in 2022, when it went from unranked to the CFP Championship game.
It’s a trait Nebraska has in 2024.
