Gary Pinkel has reached a pivotal point with his University of Missouri program.
With the college football industry beginning a turbulent era – thanks to all the league jumping and super-conference scheming – coaches must build positions of strength.
The gulf between the “haves” and “have-nots” could expand during the next few years as power schools try to align with and strengthen the power conferences.
This is not the time to fall into rebuilding mode. The football powers are causing great upheaval in college sports.
Schools that emphasize football will want to be really, REALLY good in football.
Mizzou wants to stay on the “haves” side of the fence as sides are drawn up. The school must assume that the current Big 12 peace is temporary, given the league-wide resentment of Texas.
The jockeying will continue unabated. At some point, Texas will make another power play. At some point, the Big Ten will move from 12 teams to 16.
Missouri football needs to become more attractive competitively and financially. When the wooing resumes, the Tigers want to be ready to dance.
Pinkel has led the Tigers to six bowl games in seven years. He has won two Big 12 North titles and reached No. 1 in the national polls.
He pushed the program back onto the national radar screen and he has kept it there. But can Pinkel keep progressing?
Big challenges loom for the program for this season and beyond. Here are a few thoughts on that:
* Pinkel and his staff have made tremendous headway on the recruiting trail, but will that translate to on-field success in 2010? The demise of Derrick Washington subtracted one more proven talent from this team. Washington and Danario Alexander were the offensive focal points last season. Which players will emerge this season?
* Quarterback Blaine Gabbert has the skills to become a dominant college football player. He offers Tim Tebow size with more foot speed, a bigger arm and more passing polish. This kid is a monster. Now that he has two wheels again instead of one, he’ll try to put it all together. Last year he locked in on Alexander. Can he spread the ball around this year and allow Mizzou to attack defenses with multiple weapons?
* The spread offense has served Missouri well. It helped the Tigers take that Next Step and become relevant again. It helped them recruit waves of blue-chip offensive players. But as more teams switched to this offense, more teams learned to defend it. Now that Big 12 defenses have adjusted to the Tigers, what adjustments will Missouri make?
* Can this program build a sturdier defense? The Tigers have upgraded their recruiting on that side of the ball, adding more speed and athletic ability. But how good is their scheme? Can they become more adept at making in-game adjustments? Navy savaged the Tigers in the Texas Bowl by running its option series again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again . . . and Mizzou had no response. That was disheartening.
Pinkel brought a slumbering program back to life. Not since the late 1970s has Missouri recruited so much talent year after year after year. These Tigers are great fun to watch.
But can this regime do even greater things? Can this program muscle up? Can it build a heavyweight defense?
Can it build a power offense to use in short-yardage and red-zone scenarios? Can it play real football when it has to?
Can it build a bigger and more durable fan base? Can it inspire greater booster giving? Can it build the sort of resources that allow Oklahoma and Texas to reload with four-star players year after year after year?
This season will tell a lot. Many talented individuals have moved on, so we will see just how strong the program is.
College football power brokers will be watching closely. Can Missouri build and sustain a worthy superconference football program? Or will the Tigers fall back among the gridiron mid-majors, where they languished for the better part of 15 years?
Mizzou football is at the crossroads. Saturday’s final showdown with Illinois will say much about which way the Tigers are headed.
