Missouri’s strong start to the season showed up in the rankings Tuesday, with the Tigers climbing to No. 23 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls after their 54-14 win over FCS Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
The move keeps Missouri right in the national conversation after opening 1-0, and it also extends a familiar pattern under Eli Drinkwitz. The Tigers have now won their season-opener in six of seven seasons with Drinkwitz as head coach.
In the USA Today Coaches Poll, Missouri jumped from No. 25 in the preseason to No. 23 in Week 2. The AP Poll told the same story, with the Tigers also rising from No. 25 in the preseason Top 25 to No. 23 this week.
At the top of both polls, Ohio State stayed put at No. 1.
Georgia held steady at No. 2 in both rankings, while the rest of the top five shifted slightly: Texas, Notre Dame and Indiana fill out the leading group in the coaches poll, while the AP has Notre Dame at No. 3, Texas at No. 4 and Indiana at No.
The SEC remains heavily represented in both rankings. The coaches poll includes 10 teams from the league: Georgia and Texas, then LSU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri and Florida. The AP poll lists nine SEC teams: Georgia and Texas, followed by LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama, Tennessee and Missouri.
Missouri’s spot at No. 23 places it just ahead of a rivalry week trip to Lawrence. The Tigers will face Kansas, which is 1-0, on Friday, Sept. 11 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT, and FOX will televise the game.
In Other News...
Missouri Heads To Kansas With More Than Rivalry Bragging Rights
Kansas and No. 23 Missouri will renew their historic football rivalry in Lawrence, giving the matchup a little extra edge beyond the usual early-season measuring stick. Both teams arrive off opening-week wins, and coaches Lance Leipold and Eli Drinkwitz have each framed the game through the lens of preparation, poise and what this rivalry still means in a landscape where so few old border battles remain on the calendar.
For Missouri, there is also the practical matter of getting healthier up front, with left tackle Cayden Green possibly back from injury for the trip. The long pause in the series only adds to the stakes, because unless the teams cross paths in the College Football Playoff, they will not see each other again until the 2031 and 2032 seasons, making this one of those rare games where history, timing and timing again all seem to matter at once. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Faces A Border War Test That Could Swing On One Matchup
The Border War is back on the calendar, and Missouri heads into David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium knowing this one has the feel of more than just an early-season measuring stick. Kansas brings an offense shaped by coordinator Andy Kotelnicki that has been built to push the pace and stress defenses, while the Tigers are preparing for the kind of game where one clean matchup or one busted assignment can change the tone fast. Add in the rivalry history and the buzz around both young quarterbacks, and the setup is exactly what you would expect when these two get together.
For Missouri, the challenge is not simply matching intensity but handling the swings that come with a game like this on the road. The atmosphere should be lively, the stakes feel bigger than a normal nonconference date, and Foxs broadcast slot only adds to the spotlight. The quarterback play on both sides is part of what makes it intriguing, but the real question is whether Missouri can manage the one area that could tilt everything before the night is over. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Suddenly Has A Running Back Problem At The Worst Time
Missouris backfield was already thin, and now it has been hit hard before the season has really had a chance to settle in. Running back Malae Fonoti is done for the year after suffering a non-contact ACL tear in the season opener, and head coach Eli Drinkwitz said Fonoti will undergo surgery. It is the kind of early setback that can ripple through an offense quickly, especially for a team trying to establish depth behind its top options.
The concern does not stop there, either. Backup Ahmad Hardy remains unavailable while he recovers from a gunshot wound, which leaves Xai'Shaun Edwards in line as the likely No. 2 back behind Jamal Roberts. For Missouri, that makes every snap in the run game feel a little more fragile, and it puts added pressure on the players still standing to absorb a workload the Tigers were not planning on this soon. [Read more 🡒]