• E-mail

The question used to be if Missouri coach Gary Pinkel would keep his job after repeatedly crumbling in November and nearly losing his team in 2004.

Now the question is if a Pinkel-coached team could win the national championship.

To that, the answer may be yes.

The Tigers' only losses last season, when they went 12-2 and finished No. 4 in the nation, came against Oklahoma. A Mizzou team that returns experience everywhere except for a couple of spots on the offensive line doesn't face the Sooners in the regular season in 2008.

"Confidence and expectations grow internally, hopefully from our players," said Pinkel, who begins his eighth season in Columbia, Mo. "Responsibly, I have to make sure we're focused on working hard, focusing on the process and not what people are projecting us to be."

While any mention of the Tigers leads directly to quarterback Chase Daniel of Southlake Carroll and a high-flying offense, it's a defense returning 10 starters that makes Mizzou a legitimate title contender.

The defense was last seen at the Cotton Bowl, holding Arkansas running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones to a combined 150 rushing yards in a 38-7 victory – 80 yards below their combined average.

The Tigers were plus-13 in turnovers last season and return talented play-makers at every level of the defense.

Senior defensive end Stryker Sulak of Rockdale posted six sacks last season. Junior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon of Jasper earned All-Big 12 honors in his first season as a starter, finishing with a team-best 130 tackles. Senior free safety William Moore, who missed the spring after having shoulder surgery, tied for the lead nationally with eight interceptions last season.

"We wanted to become a more physical team in the spring, and we did that," said Weatherspoon, who is expected to make a full recovery from shoulder surgery in April.

In a conference that returns the quarterbacks from seven of the nation's top-22 scoring offenses, Pinkel knows his defense will be key.

"If you look at us last year, our defense got better every game," Pinkel said. "If we're playing better defense in the bowl game this year than we are at the beginning, we've got a chance to be special."

Most of the focus will be on Daniel and an offense that looks to pick up where it left off during a record-setting season. Daniel set school records with 4,306 yards passing and 33 touchdowns and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

All-American sophomore receiver Jeremy Maclin set an NCAA freshman record for all-purpose yards in a season (2,776) in 2007, including a team-leading 1,055 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

Gone are running back Tony Temple, who set a Cotton Bowl rushing record with 281 yards and four TDs on Jan. 1; receiver William Franklin, a fourth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs; and tight end Martin Rucker, a fourth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns.

Pinkel, however, doesn't worry about those losses because of the talent returning. Junior receiver Danario Alexander, who is 6-5 and 210 pounds, has looked good after missing last season because of knee surgery.

Missouri will use three running backs, led by sophomore Derrick Washington. And senior tight end Chase Coffman is a top NFL prospect.

A position that does concern Pinkel is the offensive line, where two four-year starters and two key reserves have graduated.

"We've got a lot of work to do there," Pinkel said. "It starts there because Chase Daniel needs time to distribute the ball."

Missouri will be tested early. In the season opener in St. Louis, the Tigers face last season's Rose Bowl runnerup, Illinois, which Missouri defeated in a 40-34 thriller in September. The next big test could come Oct. 18 at Texas.

If Missouri can win the North title for a second straight season, the Tigers will play for the Big 12 championship at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, which should be a decisive home-field advantage.

With a win in Kansas City, the Tigers could well be in the BCS national championship game – a chance they squandered last season by losing to Oklahoma for the Big 12 title.

"We're all going into this year thinking about winning a national championship," Weatherspoon said.

Chip Brown predicts how the Big 12 will finish in 2008:

Record: 11-1, 7-1

League losses: at Texas A&M

Bottom line: The Sooners have a monster offense and always seem to field a talented defense no matter who moves on. OU has another head-scratching loss – in 2007, it was at Colorado – before going on to lock up the Big 12 South title for the seventh time in 10 seasons under Bob Stoops.

Record: 10-2, 6-2

League losses: Oklahoma State, at Oklahoma

Bottom line: Mike Leach, the Captain Jack Sparrow of the South Plains, puts his best team on the field with impressive results. Most impressive of all will be defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill convincing doubters that Tech can do more than play offense.

Record: 9-3, 5-3

League losses: Oklahoma, Missouri, at Texas Tech

Bottom line: Too many unproven skill positions on offense need time to get valuable experience. New defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will get the defense straightened out with some growing pains. All signs point to 2009 for a big run by the Longhorns.

Record: 8-4, 4-4

League losses: at Missouri, at Texas, at Colorado, Oklahoma

Bottom line: This is Mike Gundy's best team in four seasons at OSU. Despite the drama around his relationship with Bobby Reid, Gundy made the right decision by switching to Zac Robinson at QB. The offense has a new coordinator, but it's time for the defense to make noise in Stillwater.

Record: 8-4, 4-4

League losses: at Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Colorado, at Texas

Bottom line: New coach Mike Sherman brings a swagger to campus that has been sorely lacking. His players pick up on it and collect a couple of key wins, against Miami and my upset special this season: a home win over Oklahoma.

Record: 3-9, 1-7

League losses: Oklahoma, at Oklahoma State, at Nebraska, Missouri, at Texas, Texas A&M, at Texas Tech

Bottom line: The Bears can no longer be penciled in as an automatic victory for opponents now that Art Briles has taken over. The guy is a winner and has just enough talent to shock one or two teams this season. The problem is depth.

Record: 12-0, 8-0

League losses: None

Bottom line: If the Tigers can get past Illinois in the opener, they gain nothing but momentum for their two toughest road games – at Nebraska and at Texas. Chase Daniel of Southlake Carroll is on a mission, but it's the Tigers' improved defense that will put them in the BCS national title game.

Record: 8-4, 4-4

League losses: at Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas, Missouri

Bottom line: Mark Mangino has to find some new talent at running back, tight end, cornerback and on both lines. He also lost one of the best defensive coordinators in the country in Bill Young to Miami (Fla.). But the Jayhawks still have a strong nucleus from last year's 12-1 run.

Record: 7-5, 4-4

League losses: Texas, at Kansas, at Missouri, at Nebraska

Bottom line: No one plays a tougher nonconference schedule than the Buffs, who play at home against West Virginia and at Florida State. Dan Hawkins' sophomore son, Cody, is a year wiser at quarterback, and freshman RB Darrell Scott makes his debut.

Record: 5-7, 3-5

League losses: Missouri, at Texas Tech, at Oklahoma, Kansas, at Kansas St.

Bottom line: Bo Pelini gets no favors from the schedule with Virginia Tech and road games at Tech and OU. He also must endure the growing pains of a first-year coach while replacing the back seven of his defense.

Record: 4-8, 1-7

League losses: Kansas, at Baylor, Nebraska, Texas A&M, at Okla. St., at Colorado, Missouri

Bottom line: Coach Gene Chizik is starting over at QB. But the Cyclones battled last year, scaring OU in a 17-7 loss and beating Colorado and K-State. Chizik is still rebuilding, but the attitudes are changing in Ames.

Record: 4-8, 1-7

League losses: Texas Tech, at Texas A&M, at Colorado, Oklahoma, at Kansas, at Missouri, Iowa St.

Bottom line: Ron Prince is either panicking or a complete genius by bringing in 19 junior college players. It looks like panic, especially after the defense caved in last year. QB Josh Freeman, WR Deon Murphy, RB Leon Patton and DE Ian Campbell are bright spots.