In its quest for a third consecutive SEC East title, Missouri’s schedule is one of its biggest assets.

It’s what climbers would reference as a “long approach.” Rather than reach a vertical face almost as soon as the Tigers exit the offseason parking lot, coach Gary Pinkel and his players face a gradual, steepening grade.

The crux is tough (at Georgia), but even the vertical climbing is manageable.

That word has some negative connotations when attached to a quarterback or a schedule. Any SEC slate is tough. That’s not a conference-centric mirage. But let’s be real: Missouri’s schedule this year is as favorable as it’s going to get.

Considering there are so many questions and uncertainties entering the season on offense and defense, it’s helpful that the team will be allowed to stretch its legs before tackling the tough stuff — as long as it doesn’t twist an ankle in the process.

Analyzing Missouri’s 2015 schedule, here’s a closer look:

FAVORABLE MATCHUPS

  • vs. SEMO, Sept. 5
  • at Arkansas State, Sept. 12
  • vs. Connecticut, Sept. 19
  • at Vanderbilt, Oct. 24
  • vs. BYU, Nov. 14

Missouri must be the biggest, most successful program to play road games against teams like Toledo and Arkansas State in back-to-back seasons. Despite that, the team inherits one of the easiest non-conference schedules in the SEC. Lump in Vanderbilt, and Mizzou should — emphasize should, because we all remember Indiana — get to collect four smooth wins before Halloween. BYU is no joke, but having watched them in person last season, the Cougars don’t have the strength along the line of scrimmage to keep pace with Mizzou on either side of the ball. Quarterback Taysom Hill is a big difference-maker, but the chances of him remaining 100 percent healthy by mid-November are slim.

BIGGEST GAMES

  • at Georgia, Oct. 17
  • vs. Mississippi State, Nov. 5
  • vs. Tennessee, Nov. 21
  • at Arkansas, Nov. 27

Missouri faces just three teams ranked in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll. That’s tame by SEC standards. All three of them wait until the second half of the schedule to make an appearance. Georgia’s talent is established, but Tennessee and Arkansas both finished the regular season 6-6 in 2014 and still have something to prove. Missouri would love to beat both of them again this year. If that happens, expect the Tigers to hang around in the SEC East all season. Mississippi State isn’t as big as the other three, but it does represent a chance to notch a win against an SEC West team. And the Bulldogs can’t be counted as a near-guaranteed win, so they get stashed here.

ROUGH PATCH

  • at Kentucky, Sept. 26
  • vs. South Carolina, Oct. 3
  • vs. Florida, Oct. 3

This three-week stretch begins five consecutive Saturdays of SEC East play for Mizzou. Talk about a whirlwind. These are the kinds of games that the Tigers always won the last two seasons, usually in comfortable fashion. If Mizzou wants to retain any hope of winning a third consecutive division title, it needs to sweep here. A relatively gentle start to the schedule could lead to a 6-0 start and a huge confidence boost. But a game in Lexington no longer is a guaranteed win for this team. The series against South Carolina has produced back-to-back nail-biters. And Florida, still fielding a tough defense, will want revenge for last year’s debacle in Gainesville. It’s a tough way to … well, hold that thought.

TOUGHEST TILT

Unless Arkansas or Tennessee surpasses its significant preseason hype by the end of the season, Georgia will be the best team Missouri faces during the 2015 regular season. Days after losing Heisman Trophy hopeful Todd Gurley to suspension, UGA stomped Mizzou, 34-0, in Columbia, Mo., last year. Now the Tigers must travel 591 miles to Athens, Ga., for its seventh consecutive week of football — and its fourth straight SEC East game. Georgia, a preseason top 10, is a heavy preseason favorite to reclaim the division. The Bulldogs face a tougher schedule, with crossover games against Alabama and Auburn, so losing to UGA won’t preclude a division title defense. But revenge won’t be easy for the Tigers to exact.

SEASON-DEFINING STRETCH

  • Nov. 5-Nov. 27

Let’s put the tired “respect” discussion aside, shall we? Even the most optimistic Missouri fan must admit that the odds are against a third consecutive trip to Atlanta, and for a myriad of reasons. Yes, the Tigers have raised expectations. That’s commendable. But failing to win the East Division in 2015 shouldn’t equate to an automatic “disappointment” label. And it probably won’t. After a bye week on Halloween, Mizzou gets four respected opponents in November, including two away from Faurot Field. This stretch includes games against two SEC West opponents — the Tigers have to hear about losses to Auburn and Alabama all the time — and an up-and-coming Vols team.

Even a 3-1 November that bleeds into a respectable bowl game would be a success and give the team plenty to be proud about entering the offseason. Or perhaps Missouri can reclaim the magic of the last two years and contend all the way through the final game against Arkansas, just like last season. Either way, November will define the team’s 2015.