The media members representing the Southeastern Conference, in preseason polling, have picked the University of Missouri’s football program to finish in sixth place in the seven-team SEC East, ahead of only Vanderbilt. The media was fairly certain on which two teams would battle for the division title, with Florida receiving 53 first-place votes and the Gators rival, Georgia, the remaining 43.
Tennessee was picked to finish third, behind the Gators and Bulldogs, followed closely by Kentucky and then South Carolina.
The Alabama Crimson Tide were chosen as the pre-season favorite in the SEC West, with 77 votes in the top position. No other school had more than seven.
Missouri linebacker Nick Bolton was chosen as a first-team preseason linebacker by the media, with Mizzou defensive end Kobie Whiteside receiving second-team honors. Safety Tyree Gillespie and running back Larry Rountree both made third-team.
Alabama’s 13 All-SEC team selections led the conference, with eight chosen to the first team off the Crimson Tide.
Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz has announced that Tiger offensive lineman Jack Buford and wide receiver Cjay Boone have opted out of playing in the 2020 season. Missouri has had five players chose not to play during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Buford and Moore joining offensive lineman Thalen Robinson, receiver Maurice Massey, and defensive tackle Chris Daniels in that group.
Drinkwitz indicated he does not expect either Massey or Daniels to return to the Tigers in 2021, but that Robinson, who announced his decision Tuesday, is expected to return to Mizzou for the 2021 season.
Attendance for Saturday night’s season opener against Alabama will be ‘capped’ at 11,700, according to Mizzou athletic officials. That number is close to 19 percent of the 61,620 capacity at Faurot Field. That number is slightly less than the 25% capacity that MU officials were hoping to reach over the summer.
In other pre-game announcements, the university verified that pre-game tailgating would not be allowed prior to Tiger home games. Half-priced concession items were being used as an incentive, according to Athletic Director Jim Sterk, to get fans inside the stadium, and avoid congregating outside prior to kickoff.
