Missouri Tigers fans have every reason to dream big in 2025. With a schedule many are calling the unfair advantage in the SEC and a high-profile quarterback addition, optimism is bubbling in Columbia. But not everyone is buying the hype. Despite coach Eliah Drinkwitz’s aggressive $1.5 million NIL play for Penn State transfer Beau Pribula, one prominent college football voice isn’t ready to put Missouri among his top five wildcard picks for the SEC title.

CFB analyst Josh Pate dropped the hot take during his June 17 podcast episode, pointing to roster turnover and key losses from last year’s 10-3 team that finished in the top 20. Missouri may have cash and momentum, but according to Pate, they are not Championship material yet. However, who are his wildcards? Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Auburn. At one point, he also put South Carolina and Missouri, but then argued against them.

For Missouri, Pate said, “The schedule is favorable if Beau Pribula pans out at quarterback. Really love the addition they made in running back [Ahmad Hardy]. I always love Eliah Drinkwitz’s teams to be very sneaky good. (But) Are they good enough to win the league? I don’t put them in that classification, and that’s why I didn’t include them in the wild cards,” Pate stated in his podcast.

Now, about that schedule everyone’s buzzing about. Missouri opens with a comfortable six-game homestand at Faurot Field, starting with Central Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, and UMass, and then a bye before Alabama comes to town. If there’s ever a time to ease a new QB into action and build momentum, it’s during this stretch. Post-bye, the road gets trickier but still manageable by SEC standards. Trips to Auburn, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, and Arkansas may not worry Coach Drinkwitz too much.

Toss in another perfectly placed bye on November 1, and you’ve got a roadmap even the most skeptical coach would envy. Add in the emotional angle of rivalry matchups against Kansas and Arkansas, and you get why fans are circling 9-10 wins on their calendars. And yet, Pate wasn’t convinced. He offered a telling comparison that further called into question just how earned Missouri’s 2025 hype truly is. “Florida (Gators) is also in this; it’s also schedule-related. I am highly confident that if Florida had Missouri’s schedule, they would have been in the top five odds to win the SEC,” said the podcaster.

This loosely translates to Missouri may not have the squad yet to go better than their last season. Other voices across college football, however, have made a similar projection of the Tigers’ 2025 season. Analysts at CFN suggest the Tigers have lost household names from their 2024 squad, but Eliah Drinkwitz has made crucial signings. However, Pribula at QB remains a calculated risk.

Does Eliah Drinkwitz have the desired squad depth?

Pribula, the former Penn State QB, came with dual-threat credentials. His stats from 2024 read 66.1% completion rate, over 500 rushing yards, and 19 combined touchdowns. However, Pribula has worryingly thrown just 56 passes in his college career. So while he may fit the mold of what Drinkwitz wants, it’s far from a sure bet. That $1.5M NIL tag is a bold play for a guy with flashes, not a resume.

But it’s not all on Beau. Running back Ahmad Hardy comes in fresh off a 1,300+-yard, 13-TD season at Louisiana-Monroe. Experts believe he’ll be the lead workhorse behind a refurbished offensive line. And Hardy’s bruising style is exactly what you want in November matchups against physical SEC defenses. If he and Pribula click early against soft openers like Central Arkansas and UMass, it could be fireworks by midseason.

Concerns do lie elsewhere. For example, wideout Kevin Coleman Jr. will be tasked with replacing Luther Burden III’s production. No easy feat for Coleman, who logged 568 yards and 3 touchdowns last year with Mississippi State but now steps into WR1 territory. His speed is real, and analysts on Rock M Nation say he’s ready. However, the jury’s out until we see him in action against Alabama or Texas A&M.

On defense, Missouri’s revamped front seven might just be Drinkwitz’s best offseason work. Georgia transfer Damon Wilson II (EDGE) and West Virginia transfer Josiah Trotter (LB) were marquee signings. Wilson, a former five-star, is pegged to lead the Tigers in sacks, while Trotter, the 2024 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, will anchor the linebacker corps. That’s a big lift for a unit that lost veterans like Johnny Walker Jr.

Backing them are promising freshmen like Jack Lange (OL), Javion Hilson (EDGE), and Matt Zollers (QB), all part of a recruiting class ranked 19th nationally. Lange could see early playing time at tackle, while Hilson’s pass-rushing potential makes him a rotational piece from day one. Zollers is a wild card, one to watch if the Pribula experiment falters.

So, what does it all mean for 2025? Missouri currently does not have the national buzz of an Alabama or Georgia, but belief is backed by a tailor-made schedule for a hot start. The new additions have given them every reason to hit the ground running. Whether it leads to an SEC title run is up for debate, but one thing’s certain: Eliah Drinkwitz has positioned this team to make noise.