Missouri and Texas are meeting again at a moment when the old DeLoss Dodds line is impossible to ignore.
Back in 2013, the former Texas athletic director took a shot at Missouri while defending the Longhorns’ standard, saying:
We’re going to have good years again. Our bad years are not that bad.
Take a school like Missouri. Our bad years are better than their good years.
But we’ve created a standard.
That quote has lingered in Columbia for years, and now the two programs are back on the same field for the first time since Texas joined the SEC. It’s also their first matchup since the 2017 Texas Bowl, and only the second time they’ve met since Missouri left the SEC.
Since the start of the 2013 season, the numbers have been closer than that old jab suggested. Missouri is 105-68 over that stretch, with four 10-win seasons. Texas is 110-66, good for a .625% win rate compared with Missouri’s .606%.
Texas’ roughest stretch in that span includes three 5-7 seasons and a 6-7 year, with the bowl loss coming in the Texas Bowl. Missouri’s best years since then have included a 12-win season and a Cotton Bowl win, an 11-win season and a Citrus Bowl win, another 11-win season and a Cotton Bowl win, plus a 10-win season capped by a Music City Bowl win.
The Longhorns still hold a 58-44 edge in NFL draft picks, but Texas has widened that gap fast with 23 players selected in the 2024 and 2025 drafts combined. On the field, though, the two programs have looked fairly similar, even with Texas getting the Big 12 cushion along the way. Under Steve Sarkisian, Texas has also pulled ahead in roster talent, and Missouri now has a chance to even things up tomorrow.
Missouri and Texas kick off Saturday, November 7th, 2026, at 11:00 AM CT. ESPN will carry the game, and it can also be streamed on ESPN.com/Watch.
As of last evening, Texas was a 2.5-point favorite at FanDuel, with the over-under set at 42.5.
In Other News...
Mizzou Just Sent A Clear Message By Bringing Back SLU
Missouris nonconference calendar just picked up a familiar in-state edge, with the Tigers set to meet Saint Louis for the first time since 2001 in a Nov. 6 game at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The matchup, which Dennis Gates helped bring together, will carry the Regions Bank Show-Me Showdown name and is slated to return annually for the next three years, giving both programs a chance to renew a series that has been absent for more than two decades.
For Missouri, the move is about more than local pride. A game like this can matter when NCAA Tournament resumes are being weighed, and both coaches have acknowledged the significance of putting two respected programs on the same floor. It also gives fans in the state a rare chance to see the rivalry feel real again, with a neutral-site setting that should make the first edition feel like an event rather than just another date on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzous 2027 Offense Just Got A Lot More Interesting
Missouris offense got a meaningful boost for the future with Austin Simmons back in the fold for 2027. The starting quarterback, who transferred in after three seasons at Ole Miss, has already settled in as the Tigers starter this season, and his return gives the program some much-needed continuity at the most important position on the field.
There is still a wrinkle, though, because Simmons deal leaves the door open for the 2027 NFL Draft. Even so, his presence keeps Missouris long-term offensive picture much clearer, especially with several other skill-position players also eligible to return in 2027. For a team trying to build around stability, that kind of roster overlap matters. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Just Got A Much Tougher SLU Problem Than Expected
What had looked like a straightforward nonconference tune-up for Missouri now comes with a lot more uncertainty. Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz confirmed that Robbie Avila will be dressed and available for the Billikens upcoming game against the Tigers after St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Jason Sengheiser granted Avila an injunction that gives him a fifth year of eligibility and blocks the NCAA from enforcing roster limits to keep him off the floor.
For Missouri, the timing matters because Avila changes the complexion of a game that already carried plenty of attention across the state line. His case follows a similar court allowance for Mark Mitchell to rejoin the Saint Louis roster, adding another layer to a matchup that now feels a little less like a routine early-season test and a little more like a look at how much roster chaos can shape November basketball. [Read more 🡒]