Dak Dillon-USA TODAY SPORTS
Following a 5-7 season in 2012, their first season in the Southeastern Conference, the Missouri Tigers are looking to have a better season in 2013.
When looking at the Missouri schedule, it appears that the Tigers could get off to a strong start. In fact, the first four games appear to be winnable for Gary Pinkel and his Tigers.
Missouri opens the season by hosting FCS opponent Murray State in Columbia. The second game is also at home, against Toledo. In Week 3, Missouri visits the Indiana Hoosiers in another winnable game.
Game four is at home against Arkansas State, which is another game that Missouri could/should win.
However, the schedule takes a significant turn at that point. In their fifth game, Missouri visits the Vanderbilt Commodores. The following week, the Tigers travel to the Georgia Bulldogs. That’s followed by home games against the Florida Gators and the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Missouri then hosts the Tennessee Volunteers and visits the Kentucky Wildcats. After a week off, Missouri travels to the Ole Miss Rebels before hosting the Texas A&M Aggies.
The first four games appear to be winnable for Missouri, but if the Tigers are to get to six wins, they need to find two more wins somewhere on the schedule.
If Missouri can win on the road at Vanderbilt and Kentucky, they could reach the magical six-win mark, getting them back into the postseason after staying home for the holidays last season. Another possible win occurs when the Tigers host Tennessee in October.
The Tigers and Pinkel hope to bounce back from last season’s 5-7 record, but Mizzou must prove themselves against the tough SEC schedule that faces them in 2013. If quarterback James Franklin can revert back to the way he played as a sophomore, and running back Henry Josey is healthy, the road could get just a bit easier for the Tigers.
