In the debate about how much weight to assign to bowl outcomes, NFL-bound players have spoken. In increasing numbers, they think bowls aren’t worth the risk. After witnessing approximately 100 targeting penalties on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, I guess they have a point.

Pretty much everyone besides those players believes bowls are worth far more than 1/13th of a team’s final grade. I think that’s fair. It is a final exam against an opponent that, in theory at least, is comparable in accomplishment.

So when I think about the 2018 Missouri football team — a team I’ve been pretty bullish on — I think a little less of it after a 38-33 loss to Oklahoma State in the Liberty Bowl. I was under the impression Missouri was better than its 8-4 regular-season record indicated, but Oklahoma State highlighted some early season problems — special teams and pass defense — that were never really solved, just weren’t exposed by the Tigers’ November opponents.

Barry Odom shouldn’t apologize for an eight-win season, but there were some situations in the Liberty Bowl that showed areas where he can improve.