Surprised. Ecstatic. Baffled.
These are just some of the many crazy emotions and feelings going through anyone who has the slightest tie to Mizzou this week.
To say there is a sense of optimism in Columbia would be a massive understatement. After its 41-26 victory in Georgia, I think it is safe to say Missouri football is destroying almost all of our expectations.
I, for one, fall into that category. I’ll admit it. I was dead wrong about how Mizzou would fare this year. I took what I was dubbing “a realistic” approach by predicting a losing record this year.
But let me be the first to tell you: It feels good to be wrong.
Sports writers jump at the occasional chance to seem smart about this stuff. Getting a prediction right is sort of like winning a game.
It generally feels good to be right. And while a lot of predicting relies heavily on the understanding of the game, sports are so ridiculously haphazard and arbitrary, that it’s almost impossible to really see into the future.
Being accurate on a game’s outcome or how a team will fare for a season really comes down to a whole lot of blind luck. In the case for Mizzou, blind luck has not been on the side for my forecast of the 2013 season. And I’m damn glad it hasn’t been.
No one could have predicted this: 6-0, ranked No. 14 and already bowl eligible. Mizzou even beat Georgia and has the high honor of being one of only two teams in the almighty SEC to still be undefeated.
It still doesn’t feel quite real.
Even the most optimistic of Mizzou fans didn’t have Georgia circled as a win. Most experts had Georgia taking an unbeaten record into the SEC championship game. I sure did. But now the Tigers are now the frontrunner to represent the eastern division in Atlanta.
At least, that is, for now.
We must all face the daunting realization that the rest of the season must move forward without James Franklin at quarterback. With redshirt freshman Maty Mauk taking over, the remaining brunt of the SEC schedule will be no easy task. The player formerly known as the future of the program has suddenly been thrown into that future right now.
It is going to take a continuation of the outstanding defense that has been so surprisingly good this year. The offense will be forced to play even better than the one that put up 41 points this past week.
But there is still reason for optimism. Mauk, who in his first year showed a need for refined accuracy and improved footwork, has matured greatly and has a wicked-fast release. Experience is not on his side but competitiveness and toughness both are, and those attributes will add a lot to the equation.
It will not be easy as Mizzou gets set for Florida, South Carolina and the rest of the schedule. But the team has shown it has what it takes. As for me? I’ve done a complete 180. Call me “Derek the Optimist.”
Even if all of this is a fluke — which any sports fan must understand that that’s always a strong possibility — it feels great to be a Tigers fan right now.
In the case of my preseason prediction? Oh, how good it feels to be wrong.