The polling is a sign of the times.
Missouri football has gone from being picked to finish sixth in the Southeastern Conference's east division last year to a predicted landing spot of sixth in the entire 16-team league in 2024.
And even that upgrade might feel like a snug for a Mizzou team ready to push for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Ahead of the Tigers in the annual poll distributed to reporters at SEC media days are Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana State.
The Bulldogs received 165 of the 213 first-place votes, far ahead of the Longhorns, which had the next-highest tally at 27.