Mizzou Football: Gabe DeArmond’s 2020 Season Outlook

Mizzou Season Preview

After finishing the 2019 season with a 6-6 record (3-5 SEC), the Missouri Tigers look to compete for one of the top spots in the SEC East. However, with a rough schedule ahead of them, the odds are not in their favor. Gabe DeArmond from Power Mizzou joined Sports Scene with Steve Russell to discuss the future of Missouri football.

Brutal Stretch Ahead

DeArmond’s reasoning for Missouri’s losing record is completely justifiable. College football schedule makers were not kind when fixing the matchups for the Tigers.

The Alabama Crimson Tide roll into Faurot Field to kickoff Mizzou’s home-opener on Sept. 26, followed up with playing the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, LSU in Death Valley and Florida Gators in the Swamp all in the month of October. While the Tigers endure this tough four-game stretch to begin their season, DeArmond predicts Missouri to finish 3-7 overall with favorable wins over Arkansas and Vanderbilt.

Big Shoes to Fill

Missouri enters the season losing a number of key players due to graduating out of the program or to the NFL Draft. Tight End Albert Okwuegbunam, DL Jordan Elliott and OL Trystan Colon-Castillo took their talents to the NFL, while other crucial assets such as OL Yasir Durant, QB Kelly Bryant, WRs Jonathan Nance and Johnathon Johnson and LB Cale Garrett are gone. The team has a huge struggle in the trenches as the offensive and defensive lines become large areas of concern.

Hope still remains as Missouri returns top-tier NFL talent for the 2020 season. With 2021 NFL prospect DL Kobie Whiteside, LB Nick Bolton, OL Larry Borom and S Tyrie Gillespie suiting up on the turf this Fall, the Tigers remain optimistic against the odds.

Stadium Capacity

During his interview, Gabe DeArmond states that capacity at Faurot Field will be at 25 percent or below. Tickets will be sold by donor rank and there will be a limit on how many tickets each person can acquire. As far as tailgating goes, the University is in the process of making a safe protocol to accommodate other game day regulations.

Mizzou's Faurot Field capacity set to 25% ahead of 2020 football season. https://t.co/yZDAVOrtbr

— CollegeAD (@collegead) August 18, 2020

Looking Ahead

Although DeArmond is skeptical about the college football season finishing, he believes Mizzou football can make the most out of the games they do compete in. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, college football fanatics are ecstatic that SEC football is back for an adjusted 2020 season.