COLUMBIA, Mo. — After all the ups and downs of Missouri’s Saturday showdown with Alabama, from a breezy touchdown drive to open the game to a brutal interception to end it, what changed in the big picture for the Tigers?

As far as this season is concerned, not much.

That’s the root cause for some of the angst stemming from Mizzou’s 27-24 loss to the Crimson Tide: There was an undeniable opportunity to secure the kind of program-defining win that eludes coach Eli Drinkwitz in his sixth season with the school.

But the lack of change can also be a cautious source of optimism.

No. 16 Missouri (5-1, 1-1) is very much alive as far as securing a spot in the College Football Playoff. Conventional wisdom, historical precedent and predictive analytics all support that notion.

“We lost,” Drink

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