Missouri’s first SEC road test of the season now has a start time.
The No. 22/20 Tigers will kick off at 6:45 p.m.
CT on Sept. 26 at Mississippi State, with the game set to air on SEC Network. The conference had already slotted the matchup into a night window when it released the schedule over the summer, and Monday’s announcement locked in the details for Mizzou’s trip to Starkville, Mississippi.
That game will also be Missouri’s SEC opener in the 2026 season.
Before the Tigers head south, they’ll be back in Columbia this Saturday for a 6 p.m. kickoff against Troy at Memorial Stadium. Missouri enters that game at 2-0 after a 38-21 road win over Kansas last Friday and a comfortable home victory over UAPB in Week 1.
The Tigers’ strong start has shown up in the rankings, too. Eli Drinkwitz’s team climbed to No. 22 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and jumped three spots to No. 20 in the AP Top 25.
Mississippi State is also unbeaten, moving to 2-0 with a 62-13 win over Louisiana-Monroe in Week 1 and a 38-13 road victory over Minnesota in Week 2. Sophomore quarterback Kamario Taylor has been one of the early storylines in the SEC, leading all conference quarterbacks with 581 passing yards.
The Bulldogs open their SEC slate this Saturday at South Carolina before turning to Missouri.
Missouri football schedule
Thursday, Sept. 3 - Missouri 54, UAPB 14 (1-0) - Columbia, Mo. - SEC Network
Friday, Sept. 11 - Missouri 38, Kansas 21 (2-0) - Lawrence, Kan. - FOX
Sept. 19 (6 p.m.) - Troy - Columbia, Mo. - SEC Network+
Sept. 26 (6:45 p.m.) - Mississippi State - Starkville, Miss. - SEC Network
Oct. 3 (2:30-3:30 OR 5-7 p.m.) - Florida - Columbia, Mo. - TBD
Oct. 10 (11 a.m.-noon) - Texas A&M - Columbia, Mo. - TBD
Oct. 17 (2:30-3:30 p.m.) - Ole Miss - Oxford, Miss. - TBD
Oct. 24 - IDLE
Oct. 31 (2:30-3:30 OR 5-7 p.m.) - Arkansas - Fayetteville, Ark. - TBD
Nov. 7 (11 a.m.-noon) - Texas - Columbia, Mo. - TBD
Nov.
14 (2:30-3:30 OR 5-7 p.m.) - Georgia - Athens, Ga. - TBD
Nov. 21 (5-7 p.m.) - Kentucky - Columbia, Mo. - TBD
Nov. 28 (2:30-3:30 p.m.) - Oklahoma - Columbia, Mo. - TBD
In Other News...
Austin Simmons Is Giving Mizzou Fans Real Reason To Believe
Austin Simmons has given Missouri fans a much different feeling about the quarterback position early this season. Through two games, he has completed 36 of 48 passes for 544 yards and seven touchdowns, and the biggest change has been the cleaner decision-making. The arm talent was never really in doubt, but the early returns suggest he is pairing it with a more controlled approach than he showed a year ago.
For Missouri, that matters because quarterback growth often comes down to experience as much as raw ability. Simmons is still being measured against the standard set by past Tigers passers, and the conversation around him is starting to shift from promise to proof. The encouraging part is obvious; the harder question is whether this version of Simmons can keep building when the schedule and the pressure get heavier. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou's Border War Win Just Made One Big Belief Feel Real
Beating Kansas in the Border War is never just another line on the schedule, and Missouri made sure this one carried real weight. The Tigers 38-21 win pushed their series streak to five straight and moved them to 2-0, with Austin Simmons again giving the offense a steady edge and Cayden Lee stretching the field in a way that kept the Jayhawks under pressure.
Robert Woodyard Jr. added the kind of defensive disruption Missouri can build around, and that matters because the early returns are starting to make a bigger belief feel justified. The Tigers have the look of a team with more than just rivalry bragging rights in mind, but the next stretch will tell whether this fast start is a statement or the first chapter of something sturdier. [Read more 🡒]
Eli Drinkwitz Just Turned Kansas Into A Rivalry Flashpoint Again
Missouris win over Kansas already had the border rivalry buzzing again, but the noise picked up after a University of Kansas football hype video started making the rounds online. The clip drew attention for the wrong reasons and quickly became part of the postgame conversation, with Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz publicly blasting it as inappropriate and embarrassing.
The reaction spilled into online debates, where Kansas fans offered mixed responses and the whole episode reopened old questions about how far programs should go when trying to stoke rivalry fire. For Missouri, it was another reminder that this series still carries plenty of baggage, and for coaches everywhere, it renewed the call for more responsible decision-making when history and football collide. [Read more 🡒]