The Wildcats will be hindered a bit by their schedule, which includes the normal cupcakes in the non-conference portion followed by road games at Texas, Oklahoma State and Nebraska. The Missouri Tigers will face similar problems, as two studs on offense, QB Corby Jones and RB Devin West, are gone along with 10 other starters. The 8-4 season achieved by Mizzou last year represented their best season in over 15 years. The leading candidate appears to be Jim Dougherty, Jones' backup last season. The new RB for the Tigers will probably be senior DeVaughn Black, who saw action in limited capacity a year ago.
Defense is where the club expects to shine.
The Tigers are touting themselves as the best front seven in the league, and they just might have a case. The league's defensive player of the year Justin Smith will be at defensive end, while Jeff Marriott will anchor the middle. More key contributors will include LB's Barry Odom, Carlos Posey and junior safety Julian Jones. If the Tigers can find suitable replacements for Jones and West, the defense should be able to win them a lot of games. The success of the Kansas Jayhawks will largely depend on the arm of Sr. QB Zac Wegner and the feet of Jr. RB David Winbush.