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Back in late April, when Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz was (quite accurately, it turned out) scolding me for not being as confident as I should have been in the 2023 Tigers, he wanted me to give him a number.

As in, name the win total the Tigers needed to reach for Drinkwitz’s pivotal fourth season to be one that signaled a breakthrough and indicated Drinkwitz was the right coach for seasons to come.

I gave him a goal instead.

A bowl game, but not just any one. A bowl game that truly moved the needle. A bowl game that made Mizzou fans and followers feel a tingle in their toes.

The 10-win Tigers’ deserved clinching of a Cotton Bowl appearance against massive Big Ten brand Ohio State is the definition of a toe-tingler.

Those who assumed Ohio State wouldn’t be up for the game because quarterback Kyle McCord transferred and star Buckeyes receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., is expected to opt out should hear some of the comments coming from other established Buckeyes. They are fired up for the game.

“I’m pretty sure everybody is playing,� veteran Buckeyes corner Denzel Burke told media covering Ohio State about the bulk of the roster’s plans.

That’s great news for the game and the many Mizzou fans who rushed to buy tickets.

As for their flights, they may not need one. They have been floating since the bowl announcement and Drinkwitz keeps finding ways to pump more air beneath their wings. Mizzou’s coach is capitalizing upon and extending a big-bowl bump like few can.

Consider some of the developments that have — and haven’t — been churned out of Boone County since Drinkwitz and his players heard they were squaring off against Ohio State in a New Year’s Six contest that features one of the most fascinating matchups outside of the College Football Playoff . . .

In addition to gobs of awards and honors for his players, Drinkwitz was named SEC coach of the year, which is a very big thing, especially this season. He beat out Alabama’s Nick Saban in what was arguably Saban’s most impressive season of coaching. Speaking of Alabama, Drinkwitz is one of 10 finalists for the Bear Bryant coach of the year award.

Immediately following a season that included a best-in-conference 10.6 percent increase in average attendance growth, thanks in part to a sold-out Faurot Field through the final five home games, Mizzou has increasing forward progress on an ambitious vision for Memorial Stadium renovations. Remember what Gary Pinkel liked to say. “If you don’t see cranes up, something’s wrong.�

At least so far, Drinkwitz has managed to retain both key coordinators, established defensive coordinator Blake Baker and impressive first-year offensive coordinator Kirby Moore. That’s despite interest from other programs in both. I’ve said it before and will say it again. Pay them. Make it hard for them to leave – unless it’s for the perfect head coaching opening most young coordinators dream of earning one day.

There hasn’t been a single rumor-mill rumbling about Drinkwitz and any other job. Thanks to many incentives he earned this season, he will soar past his $6 million guaranteed salary for 2023. He’s set to make $6.25 million in 2024 on a climb to $7 million in 2027. Factoring in his breakthrough season with the always rising paydays of SEC head coaches, and it’s very likely Mizzou sweetens Drinkwitz’s contract again, like it did back in November 2022. That this topic has been quiet should be a good sign all parties are mostly aligned. Pay the man. Again. It’s the cost of doing business in the SEC when you don’t want coaches who are getting the job done to be easy targets for poachers.

Not long after naming the corner position as a position of great need in the transfer portal, and likely knowing what was coming while he said that, Drinkwitz snatched former East ºüÀêÊÓƵ and Lutheran North four-star prospect Toriano Pride Jr. off Clemson’s roster. Pride was one of if not the most talented portal player at his position. Georgia State transfer running back Marcus Carroll followed, bringing his seventh-ranked NCAA rushing total (1,350 yards and 13 touchdowns) and 40 games worth of Sun Belt experience with him to the backfield. More Mizzou offers are extended to transfers. None of the players leaving the Tigers, at least so far, were locks to be difference makers in 2024. If you think of the transfer portal as a plus-minus grade for coaches, and you should, Drinkwitz is far into the plus side with more room to add, like along both offensive and defensive lines.

Drinkwitz and his staff stunned some of their SEC competitors by beating out Ole Miss and more for the commitment of Texas prep running back Kewan Lacy, a four-star prospect in the 2024 class. Watching Cody Schrader, Tyler Badie and Larry Rountree shred defenses over the past few seasons, it was getting easy to wonder when Drinkwitz’s willingness to showcase one lead back would begin to pay dividends with star-power high school recruits. Perhaps now it has. Lacy is considered by scouting service Rivals to be a top-40 player in football-rich Texas and No. 6 at his position nationally. Think the Tigers talked to him about their upcoming Cotton Bowl trip?

Mizzou scored a 2024 schedule that begs the Tigers to appear in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. The toughest non-conference test is Boston College, at home. The Tigers should be 4-0 and rested from a bye week before they make their first road trip to Texas A&M, a program that just went through a coaching change.

Did I miss something? Probably. By the time you read this the list could need to be updated.

It’s not all happening because the Tigers are playing Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, but it’s notable that it’s all happening before it. On many campuses there are no bowl games to look forward to. On others, there is a big lull between the end of the regular season and the bowl game. Not at Mizzou in this moment, not with Drinkwitz and his full head of steam. He’s stacking up wins left and right while preparing to aim for an 11th against the Buckeyes.

And, yes, toes are tingling.