Eli Drinkwitz must be doing something right at Mizzou.  After all, he was just given a nice contract extension despite the fact his Tigers have yet to exceed six wins or finish above .500 in three years. But treading water maybe isn't the worst thing in the SEC at a place like Columbia, which has had only a brief taste of the good life in the conference under Gary Pinkel a decade ago. As for Drinkwitz, he's doing a bit more than predecessor Barry Odom, and in fact has finished right on the nose at .500 in each of three regular seasons with the Tigers. Best of all for Drinkwitz, he seems to have gotten the approval of a new athletic director who didn't hire him, Desiree Reed-Francois, who arrived from UNLV a couple of years ago and has apparently liked what she has seen from the coach. 

So, for that matter, have we, even though Mizzou is still waiting for a breakthrough on Drinkwitz's watch. The Tigers have not been an easy out, as was reflected in their near-upset of Georgia last October, when Drinkwtz threw several curveballs art Kirby Smart that had the Bulldogs off balance for most of the night. At some point, however, Drinkwitz is going to need a breakthrough in the SEC. Is this the year?

Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of Missouri's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the SEC season.

SEC preview: Conference winner | Alabama | Arkansas | Auburn | Florida | Georgia | Kentucky | LSU | Mississippi State | Missouri | Ole Miss | South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas A&M | Vanderbilt

2023 Missouri at a glance

• Last Year: 6-7 SU, 7-6 ATS, 4-9 O/U
  
• Returning Starters: Offense 7; Defense 8
• Win Total: 6.5 (Over +100, Under -120)
  

What do you need to know about Missiouri before locking in your SEC futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see SEC futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!