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COLUMBIA, Mo. — The happiest man said the saddest thing.

Now, he didn’t necessarily mean it to sound sad.

And to others, it might not have even sounded sad, per se.

OK, here’s what happened.

On Saturday, a beaming Brady Cook had just captained Mizzou to a win in his final home game. It gave the quarterback’s Tigers nine victories on the season (with a bowl game still to play). Asked to assess the season, the ӣ����Ƶ native was quite proud of the nine wins, though also shared: “There are games we want back this year — I think we all know that. But that’s for the teams next year and in the years to follow to handle, figure out, iron out and go win that (national championship).”

And so, it sounded sad because this year’s team was supposed to contend for that. This year’s team was supposed to make the College Football Playoff. This year’s team was supposed to handle, figure out and iron out everything in order to compete for the national championship.

Alas, this year’s quarterback spoke of future Tigers accomplishing the goal.

So how do we audit Mizzou’s 9-3 regular season, coming off such an encouraging 11-2 campaign the year before — and playing in the first year with 12 teams making the College Football Playoff?

Was 2024 a good season?

Yes.

Was 2024 a disappointment?

Also, yes.

Those three games Cook referred to will haunt him and his teammates.

• Texas A&M finished the regular season 8-4, yet looked more like Texas against Mizzou, as the Aggies pushed around the then-No. 9 Tigers by the score of 41-10.
• Alabama shut out Mizzou, 34-0, on a day Cook was injured.
• And South Carolina. Man. This one probably still feels fresh for the fans. With only 1:10 left, Cook fed wideout Luther Burden III with a 37-yard touchdown pass — and Mizzou took a 30-27 lead on the road. But the Gamecocks stormed through the Mizzou defense and scored a game-winning touchdown with 15 ticks left.

Mizzou wins that one and the Tigers likely are 10-2 now. And there are four two-loss teams in the top 12 of The Associated Press’ poll released Sunday, as well as one three-loss squad (Alabama).

And from Nos. 13-18, there are three teams with two losses and three teams with three losses (Mizzou is ranked No. 22).

Nothing is guaranteed, but a win at South Carolina, if anything, would’ve put Mizzou back in the playoff conversation (the next rankings are revealed Tuesday).

Instead, the 9-3 Tigers — without a signature win to boost their resume — are awaiting next Sunday’s bowl announcement.

“I told our staff that the difference between a good year and a great year was the ability to win this last game,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said after Saturday’s 28-21 win against Arkansas. “It would get us nine wins and put ourselves in a position to do something that hasn’t been done a ton: back-to-back 10-win seasons. Obviously, I figure we’ll finish the season ranked, which is a step in the right direction. We want to be a top 25 program that contends for championships, and to be able to (be ranked in) back-to-back seasons tells you that you’re not a flash in the pan. You’re moving in the right direction.”

Regarding the playoff, Drinkwitz said: “Obviously, you know, disappointed. I talked to our seniors and our team about this. The best (teams) leave a legacy. You’re not going to just get over the hump the first time you charge the hill. You got to be resilient and keep going. And the past two years we’ve had opportunities, we haven’t quite got it done, but that doesn’t mean you give up. You just find ways to continue to improve and keep charging that hill.

“And when we do finally get across, we’ll look back and remember the seniors, whether it’s Cody Schrader and Darius Robinson and Kris Abrams-Draine (from 2023), or this year’s group with Brady Cook and Theo Wease and Johnny Walker and all those guys that have left legacy here.”

With a softer schedule, Mizzou’s biggest win this year was — well, even that’s up for debate. The Tigers did defeat five bowl-eligible teams, but those were Buffalo (8-4), Boston College (7-5), Vanderbilt (6-6), Oklahoma (6-6) and Arkansas (6-6). And besides the shutout of Buffalo, the other four wins against bowl-eligible teams were close games.

Still, the Tigers tallied nine total victories and, time after time, found ways to win games late (except for, infamously, at South Carolina).

“Nine wins is nine wins — with the opportunity to get 10,” said Cook, the valiant quarterback who persevered in his career through criticism and multiple injuries (heck, he even won “The Hospital Game” this year). “So we’re sitting here now, the regular season is over, (yet) we still have a cool opportunity ahead. We still do. It’s not over yet. ...

“(Overall), the goal was to leave this place better than I found it. And I feel like I did that, and I feel like I was able to cement a legacy and change this program forever. And really, I just hope I brought joy to however many Mizzou fans. I feel like we did that. I really do.”