Missouri’s bye week didn’t buy the Tigers any breathing room in the national polls.
After a wild Week 8 across college football, Missouri slipped in both major rankings on Sunday. The Tigers dropped to No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, down two spots from No. 21, and fell to No. 23 in the Associated Press Top-25, down from No. 22.
That slide stands out because other teams around Missouri surged. Florida, which was also off last week and beat the Tigers 45-17 earlier this season, climbed four places in the Coaches Poll to No. 20 and moved up three spots in the AP poll to No. 17.
Even with Missouri sitting idle, the chaos elsewhere was heavy. Seven AP Top-25 teams lost last week, including three ranked in the top 10. In the SEC, every team except Kentucky and Georgia already has at least two losses with another week of October still left.
The Tigers are 5-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play. They return to the field Saturday, Oct. 31, at Arkansas, with kickoff set for 6:45 p.m.
CT on SEC Network. The Razorbacks enter at 3-4 overall and 1-3 in league play.
The AP Top-25 entering Week 9: Miami (Fla.) at No. 1, Ohio State at No.
2, Georgia at No. 3, Indiana at No.
4, Notre Dame at No. 5, Utah at No.
6, UCLA at No. 7, BYU at No.
8, Kentucky at No. 9, Alabama at No.
10, Texas at No. 11, Ole Miss at No.
12, Texas Tech at No. 13, Wake Forest at No.
14, LSU at No. 15, Tennessee at No.
16, Florida at No. 17, Houston at No.
18, SMU at No. 19, Boise State and Northwestern tied at No.
20, Arizona at No. 22, Missouri at No.
23, Oklahoma State at No. 24 and Wisconsin at No. 25.
The Coaches Poll entering Week 9 had Miami (Fla.) first, followed by Ohio State, Georgia, Indiana, Utah, Notre Dame, UCLA, Kentucky, BYU, Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss, LSU, Texas Tech, Wake Forest, SMU, Tennessee, Northwestern, Houston, Florida, Arizona, Boise State, Missouri, Iowa and USC.
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Mizzou's Rotation Clues Are Starting To Matter At The Right Time
Missouris snap counts are starting to tell a story that matters in late October, especially with the regular season heading into its final stretch. The numbers dont just show who has been on the field the most, they also offer a clearer picture of how the Tigers have managed workloads across the roster, where the coaching staff trusts its depth, and which position groups have settled into more stable rotation patterns.
Those usage trends become even more important when you start thinking about players working their way back into the mix, because a return or two can change the way the whole depth chart looks from week to week. For Missouri, the next few games will be about more than just production on Saturdays. They will help show whether these rotation clues are pointing to a defined postseason-ready pecking order or just a temporary snapshot of a team still sorting itself out. [Read more 🡒]