The 2012 season will be a season of firsts for the Missouri Tigers. It will be the first season for the Tigers in their new conference, the SEC. The Tigers are equipped for a better transition into the SEC compared to their Big 12 transition buddy, Texas A&M. So, without further adieu let’s predict how the Tigers will fare this season.
9/01/2012: Southeastern Louisiana (Win): No brainer here as the Tigers dismantle SE Louisiana at home. This game has blowout written all over it. It will be interesting to see how much of an impact superstar Freshman Dorial Green-Beckham will have early on in the season.
9/08/2012: Georgia (Loss): A tough second game to the season for the Tigers as Georgia comes to Columbia.
Georgia has the experience of playing in the SEC while this will be the SEC opener for the Tigers. Georgia should make a push for the SEC East crown, so the Bulldogs get the nod in this matchup.
9/15/2012: Arizona St. (Win): Arizona State lost quite a bit of talent from last season, so I think Missouri will have little trouble beating the Sun Devils. Franklin will improve on his last season and with the talent of Green-Beckham and Moe as receivers along with a strong defense the Tigers pick up the win here.
9/22/2012: @ South Carolina (Loss): Another rough game as the Tigers visit Columbia except this one is in South Carolina. The Gamecocks defense is filled with talent and with the improved play of QB Connor Shaw the offense should be productive. Missouri drops their second SEC conference game.
9/29/2012: at UCF (Win): No SEC team should lose to a Conference USA team. Missouri gets back on track with a win away from home and gets back over the .500 record mark. The defense leads the way in this one as the offense provides just enough to win the game.
10/06/2012: Vanderbilt (Win): Finally, the Tigers pick up their first SEC conference win at the expense of the Commodores. The offense explodes in this game as Gary Pinkel picks up his first SEC win as Tigers Head Coach. Dorial Green-Beckham starts to look like the second coming of AJ Green as Tigers fans starts realizing they have a special talent at WR.
10/13/2012: Alabama (Loss): I’m calling it now. This game will be a lot closer than people think. Missouri is out to prove they belong in this conference and as TJ Moe basically said during the SEC Media Day (paraphrasing) “We’re not here to be a pushover.” Well, I think Alabama has too much talent in this game, but Missouri keeps it close and shows the nation they can compete in the SEC.
10/27/2012: Kentucky (Win): Chalk up another win in the SEC for the Tigers as they take care of the Wildcats. This game shouldn’t be close as Missouri starts to pick up momentum after taking Alabama down to the wire.
11/03/2012: @ Florida (Win): Welcome to the Swamp. That will be the main message Florida will try and send to Missouri except Missouri is more stable on offense and the defense plays solid as they pick up the win on the road.
11/10/2012: @ Tennessee (Win): Back to back road games in conference for the Tigers as they pick up wins at two of the harder places to play in the nation. The Missouri offense is clicking on all cylinders at this point and the defense is playing confident.
11/17/2012: Syracuse (Win) SEC team versus Big East team on paper seems like a blowout. Well, unless it’s WVU, the SEC will dominate this game. Missouri blows out Syracuse at home before preparing for former Big 12 conference mate Texas A&M.
11/24/2012: @ Texas A&M (Win): Missouri establishes early on that they are the better team in the SEC in this matchup. Texas A&M which will struggle in their first season will be looking to the end the season on a high note. I just see Missouri as being too talented in this game to lose especially since it’s against their former Big 12 opponent.
2012 Predicted Finish: 9-3
Yes, I know 9-3 is a bit of a stretch considering this team is going from a conference with no defense to one with outstanding defense, but Missouri’s offense is just too good to take losses in such games such as Florida and Tennessee. The Tigers are poised to show the nation they can compete in the SEC and this season is their coming out party. It’s very possible the Tigers could end the season on a 4-5 game winning streak which makes up for the average start.
-Justin Pacovsky
