I guess I can see why others would be surprised by this, but we Mizzou fans are happy about it. Most of us are. Please remember just how terrible Mizzou football was for so very long. Some guy comes along and turns us into a winner? He's going to get paid. Plus, I don't buy that Chase Daniel is the reason for all the winning - Chase is a really good college QB, but there are better. Pinkel won with Brad Smith, his first recruit to Mizzou. And as far as recruiting goes, Pinkel's been great.
As some else mentioned, there was the UW factor. Pinkel was at the top of the list, so he was going to get a raise/extension.
Finally, I'm not too worried about a defensive drop off. There are a lot of seniors, but a lot of them are already splitting snaps with more talented youngsters. A couple true freshmen (Kenji Jackson and Jacquies Smith) are splitting snaps with seniors (Garrett and Chavis). A junior, Brian Coulter, is now up there with Sulak. Kevin Rutland (RS Fr) is splitting snaps (not 50/50 though) with Bridges. I buy that there will be regression in offense and defense, but Mizzou should still contend for the North title.
One thing I find infuriating about Tiger fans is they don't appreciate what they have in the defense. By nearly every defensive metric, Mizzou's defense is in the top two or three in the Big 12. I can't complain about that. Still, Mizzou fans call for Eberflus's head. I don't get it.
Support of Mizzou's defensive goodness:
Defense Wins Championships
Muschamp and Eberflus (I'm not really saying they're equals - I was trying to make a point that Tiger fans need to appreciate the D...)