"They will be favorites in most of their games": Paul Finebaum predicts Missouri's potential in the upcoming season

College football analyst Paul Finebaum thinks the Missouri Tigers are a legitimate contender. Missouri was ranked 11th in the AP's Top 25 preseason poll.

Missouri was a surprise team last season as the Tigers went 11-2 and beat Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Entering the upcoming season, Finebaum thinks Missouri is a team many people should be worried about as they are a legitimate contender.

“I like Missouri,” said Finebaum, via On3. “Missouri has one of the easiest schedules in the world if you can possibly have that in the Southeastern Conference. They will be favorites in most of their games. Don’t forget they destroyed Ohio State."

"They didn’t have one of their best players but they still destroyed them in the Cotton Bowl last year. They have a player that very few people are talking about that you will hear in the Top-10 of the NFL Draft – Luther Burden. Keep your eye on Missouri.”

The Tigers have quarterback Brady Cook returning, which helps out the offense. Last season, he went 244-for-369 for 3,317 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. Cook is entering his fourth year at Missouri.

Missouri Tigers not favored to make the playoffs

Although the AP ranks Missouri 11th in the preseason poll and Finebaum considers the team a contender, the oddsmakers feel Missouri won't make the playoffs.

Missouri is given +175 odds of making the playoffs, implying it has a 36.4% chance of happening. However, as Finebaum says, the Tigers have a rather easy schedule. Missouri will qualify for the College Football Playoff if it can replicate last year's success.

Missouri's 2024 schedule is as follows:

• Murray State, Aug. 29
• Buffalo, Sept. 7
• Boston College, Sept. 14
• Vanderbilt, Sept. 21
• @ Texas A&M, Oct. 5
• @ UMass, Oct. 12
• Auburn, Oct. 19
• @ Alabama, Oct. 26
• Oklahoma, Nov. 9
• @ South Carolina, Nov. 16
• @ Mississippi State, Nov. 23
• Arkansas, Nov. 30

The Tigers will miss out on playing the likes of Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, and LSU, among others, strengthening Missouri's chances of making the playoffs. The Tigers likely will only be underdogs against Alabama and Oklahoma. So if Missouri can go 10-2 during the regular season, it will qualify for the College Football Playoff.