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After each game, we take a look at what we learned, what we still don't know and make a prediction going forward. Here is the 3-2-1 report from a Mizzou's 51-14 loss to Auburn.
                     THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Mizzou is in the middle of a rebuild. That is according to Barry Odom. And he's probably right. Almost every team is rebuilding each season with the amount of turnover college programs deal with. The degree of difficulty surrounding the rebuild is what makes the difference. As Gabe DeArmond noted in a tweet last week there have been a high number of recruiting misses since 2013. 23 players from the 2013 and 2014 classes never arrived at Missouri or left without exhausting their eligibility. 20 players from those two classes have been contributors or starters for Mizzou. That's a hit rate just above 40%. And Odom had nothing to do with those two classes. Those players would be juniors and seniors on this team. At a program like Missouri where four-star and five-star players aren't harvested like crops those upperclassmen are vital. The counter argument is that this offense is returning a ton of starters and contributors and looks worse than the second half of last season. It's a fair point. So Missouri is rebuilding due to lack of recruiting success and struggling on offense despite returning a lot from last season? Exactly. Both can happen simultaneously.
2. The bye week is much needed and happening at a very fortunate time. Some seasons it feels like the bye week is more of a hinderance due to a team playing really well when their break comes. That is obviously not the case for this Mizzou team. They need the break. They need to reboot. They need to step back and get out of their own heads for a day or two. Then they need to get to work. Like serious work. Missouri's next game is at Kentucky on October 7. The Wildcats appear to be a decent team, but have struggled at home in games against Eastern Kentucky and Florida.
3. Barry Odom is not Kim Anderson. It's understandable why people have jumped to that conclusion. Both coaches are Missouri alumni and as everyone knows all Tigers have the same stripes. Anderson was a Division 2 head basketball coach for 12 seasons before being hired by Missouri. Odom was a Power Five defensive coordinator for one season before he was hired. Can you see the trend developing? A bit of difference began to emerge yesterday, though. Anderson waited till after he was fired to have his blow-up moment. "Stick that up your f-ing ass!," is without a doubt one of the highlights of the Anderson era. Odom did not wait near that long to have his moment. Four games into his second season was his mark. It was very un-Anderson like timing.
                     TWO QUESTIONS WE STILL HAVE
1. What are the most likely wins left on the schedule? Idaho is the most likely. The Vandals won a back and forth battle in overtime at South Alabama yesterday and are now 2-2. Next is Connecticut. The Huskies struggled against FCS foe Holy Cross at home and haven't looked real good in other games. When you look at the SEC schedule no wins seem likely. There are a few that look like they could be possible if Mizzou catches some breaks and plays closer to their potential, but that's the best you get at this point. Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Tennessee. None of those teams are great or even real good. If Missouri can take advantage of the bye week and come out with a better effort at Kentucky maybe they'll have something to build on going forward.
2. Is DLineZou done? The answer is yes. At least for the moment. What made DLineZou great was the players. Aldon Smith, Shane Ray, Michael Sam, Kony Ealy, Ziggy Hood, Markus Golden, Charles Harris and Sheldon Richardson all have one thing in common. They had the talent to play in the NFL. No one on this current defensive line is in that category. Maybe Terry Beckner will get his explosion all the way back and become a consistent disruptive interior defensive lineman, but he is definitely not there yet. Marcell Frazier had hoped to be the next great defensive end at Mizzou. Instead he has struggled to put pressure on the quarterback early in the season. Chris Turner has the coaches excited. Tre Williams has a lot of natural ability and saw more playing time against Auburn. Kobie Whiteside had his best game yesterday. Akial Byers is a guy who was set to go to Alabama. Missouri fans have to hope the young players can bring about a DLineZou resurgence and soon.
                         ONE BOLD PREDICTION
Barry Odom will be the University of Missouri's head football coach for the 2018 season. I could rattle off some reasons why, but most don't care. You're either happy because you want Odom to return or you're mad because you wanted him fired at half-time of the Missouri State game.
