There may not have been a program that endured more off-the-field hysteria this past season than Missouri.

Maty Mauk was permanently kicked out after making a series of poor choices. Racial tension on campus moved football from the sports section to the front page. Veteran coach Gary Pinkel retired due to poor health.

As for the on-the-field product, on offense, Drew Lock will probably keep his job at quarterback after he was thrown to the wolves last year as a freshman. Defensively, the front four should be among the best in the land despite the dismissal of Walter Brady. Charles Harris returns, and he can really rush the passer.

First-year coach Barry Odom already has reason to wonder if he’s long for the job. During SEC Media Days, he learned that the athletic director who hired him, Mack Rhoades, was departing for Baylor. Yes, Baylor.

Odom’s defense will keep Mizzou in games. That being said, 2015’s awful offense can’t be heard from again.

MISSOURI TIGERS

SDS 2015 projection: 9-3 (5-3)
Actual Record: 5-7 (1-7)

Sept. 3 at West Virginia (L): It’s still weird to think that the Mountaineers are in the Big 12 but the Tigers aren’t. Couches beware in Morgantown. They’re about to be set ablaze.

Sept. 10 vs. Eastern Michigan (W): Following a long road trip to play an unconventional opponent in Week 1, Mizzou returns to Columbia and gives Odom his first victory.

Sept. 17 vs. Georgia (L): By Week 3, the Bulldogs are hopeful that Nick Chubb and Sony Michel are fully healed in the backfield. They can run on just about anybody.

Sept. 24 vs. Delaware State (W): The last of three consecutive home games, Missouri racks up another win before back-to-back roadies at two of the league’s most hostile environments.

Oct. 1 at LSU (L): Even if Mizzou manages to slow down Leonard Fournette to some degree, the Bayou Bengals have more than enough talent on defense to keep Lock and Co. off the scoreboard.

Oct. 15 at Florida (L): The Gators aren’t getting much respect in the East despite winning the division a year ago. The Tigers can relate to that feeling.

Oct. 22 vs. Middle Tennessee (W): Don’t sleep on the Blue Raiders, who were a bowl team in 2015. They held Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry under 100 yards rushing, too.

Oct. 29 vs. Kentucky (L): At least one team from the East needs to step up and give Florida, Georgia and Tennessee a run for their money. It might be the Wildcats.

Nov. 5 at South Carolina (W): A battle of coaches in Year 1 taking over struggling teams, Missouri has more talent right now than Will Muschamp and the Gamecocks do.

Nov. 12 vs. Vanderbilt (W): Expect a defensive battle from start to finish. First to 17 points likely wins this slugfest. Mizzou gets a bit of an edge playing host at Faurot Field.

Nov. 19 at Tennessee (L): The Tigers’ tour of opponents from the Volunteer State comes to an end in Knoxville. The Vols are where Odom and Co. hope to be in a year or two: contending.

Nov. 25 vs. Arkansas (L): Like Tennessee in the East, the Hogs have improved each season in the West under Bret Bielema. They’re established enough to win in Columbia.

SDS 2016 projection: 5-7 (2-6)
SEC Race: 5th in the East

The Skinny: Odom’s résumé warranted a chance to be a head coach in a Power 5 conference. He’s also a Missouri alumnus, having played there in the 1990s, so his loyalty will never be questioned. If nothing else, it will be refreshing to read nothing but football stories coming out of Mizzou. Let’s hope.

John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.