Eli Drinkwitz has done an incredible job rebuilding the Missouri Tigers into a legit contender. He took over a program that lacked identity, consistency and relevance in the SEC, and he rebuilt it into something stable. That is not easy to do in a conference where the margin for error is razor-thin, and the competition is relentless. Missouri is no longer an afterthought. It is a factor. But stability is not the end goal. It is the starting point for something bigger. Over the last three seasons, Missouri has transitioned from rebuilding to competing. Double-digit wins, national rankings and NFL talent have become part of the program’s profile. That kind of growth changes how a team is viewed internally and externally. What once felt like overachievement now feels expected. That shift is where programs either plateau or break through. Missouri is now facing that exact moment. The Tigers are no longer judged by whether they are respectable. They are judged by whether they can contend.…