After winning the SEC East in 2013 and 2014, the past two seasons have been tough on Missouri.

Now entering coach Barry Odom’s second year at the helm, the Tigers will try to take a step forward and at least qualify for a bowl game.

However, in order to do that, Odom and his staff will have to answer a few questions before their Week 1 matchup against Missouri State on Saturday, Sept. 2.

1. Can Drew Lock take the next step?

For years, NFL fans have been debating whether Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco is elite. It’s such a heated question that it’s taken on a life of its own.

If Lock continues putting up huge numbers against Mizzou’s weaker opponents and struggling against top-notch foes, SEC fans might begin to have the same discussion concerning the talented junior.

Lock looked unstoppable against Eastern Michigan, Delaware State and Middle Tennessee last year, throwing for a combined 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Against LSU, Florida and Tennessee, though, he threw for only one touchdown and had five passes picked off. He threw three touchdowns and three interceptions in the loss to Georgia.

If he can’t bring his “A” game against Mizzou’s top opponents this fall, it’ll be another long, bowl-less season in Columbia.

2. Can Eric Beisel steady a shaky linebacking corps?

By all accounts, the redshirt senior has taken over as the emotional and vocal leader of the Tigers. Coaches and teammates alike are raving about the impact Beisel has had this offseason:

A couple running themes from Mizzou interviews: (1) LB Eric Beisel is THE leader of the team; offensive players also praised his impact — Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) August 1, 2017

However, none of that matters if he can’t help the Mizzou linebackers rebound from an awful 2016 season. After Michael Scherer suffered a season-ending injury, the Tigers couldn’t tackle anyone. Beisel managed only 44 tackles over seven games.

With games against Auburn, Georgia, Florida and Vanderbilt, among others, on the schedule, the Tigers will see more than their fair share of talented running backs.

Beisel and his fellow linebackers will need to step up in a big way if the Tigers are going to improve on last year’s 13th-place finish in rushing defense (233 yards allowed per game).

3. Can Terry Beckner Jr. stay healthy?

Coming off a season-ending knee injury last year, Beckner — a former 5-star recruit — will be counted on to plug the middle of the Tigers’ defensive line.

Beckner has shown flashes of brilliance, but he has now torn both of his ACLs — one in 2015 and one last season.

With Charles Harris in the NFL, the defensive line is in need of a new star. That star should be Beckner, but first he needs to prove he can handle a full workload.

4. Can Josh Heupel find creative ways to get the ball to Johnathon Johnson?

As a redshirt freshman in 2016, Johnson returned a punt for a touchdown and also showed potential as a kick returner. However, he had competition at both positions from senior graduate transfers Alex Ross and Chris Black.

This fall, both jobs should be his, but the Tigers shouldn’t stop there when it comes to featuring the speedy sophomore.

Johnson also had 24 catches for 435 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball four times for 114 yards last year.

As second-year offensive coordinator Josh Heupel plans for the 2017 season, he should consider finding ways to get the ball to Johnson early and often.

Johnson has shown talent as a receiver and a runner, so perhaps the Tigers should look to the NFL and craft a game plan for Johnson that is similar to what the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles had for Darren Sproles back in his prime.

If Johnson catches the ball in space, he can turn a short pass into a long touchdown in the blink of an eye.

5. Can the Tigers get more consistency in the kicking game?

Last year, freshman kicker Tucker McCann only made 6 of his 12 field-goal attempts. He also missed 4 of his 43 extra-point tries; no other SEC kicker missed more than two.

Now entering his sophomore season, the Tigers will need a more consistent effort from McCann, or he’ll be in danger of losing his starting job.

McCann’s mishaps didn’t directly cost Mizzou any wins last year, but if the Tigers are going to strive for bowl eligibility this fall, they’ll need to win a few closely contested games. If McCann can’t handle the pressure, Mizzou will need to look elsewhere for a kicker.