Mizzou’s Homecoming week opens with a challenge, and the Tigers are catching points for it.
Florida comes to Columbia as the favorite, opening at -4.5 at FanDuel for a matchup that has plenty of attention around it. The Gators have climbed into the AP Top 10 for the first time in a few years, and they arrive looking sharp after blasting Ole Miss at home. Under new coach Jon Sumrall, Florida is being talked about like a College Football Playoff contender.
Still, this doesn’t look like a hopeless spot for Missouri. The Tigers’ loss at Mississippi State was frustrating, but it wasn’t the kind of result that closes the door on the season.
Missouri also showed on Saturday night that it can hang in a Top 25 road game and had a real shot to win it. That matters heading into a Homecoming atmosphere that should be loud and lively.
Florida’s recent rise is real, but the source of the skepticism is real, too. The Gators have been a mess in recent years, and one strong season doesn’t erase that overnight. They’re clearly a difficult opponent, but not one Missouri should feel completely buried by.
That’s part of why the line feels vulnerable. The expectation is that it will move shorter as the week goes on, especially with Eli Drinkwitz having gotten the better of Florida in recent meetings. The chatter about Missouri’s long drought against Top 25 teams won’t sit well with him either.
Elsewhere in the SEC slate for Week 5, No. 7 Alabama visits No.
16 Mississippi State as a 5.5-point favorite with the over/under at 59.5. No.
2 Georgia is a 24.5-point favorite at home against Vanderbilt, with that total set at 53.5. Auburn heads to No.
17 Tennessee, where the Volunteers are favored by 7.5 and the over/under is 54.5.
No. 24 Kentucky is a 3.5-point favorite at South Carolina, with the total at 53.5.
Arkansas visits No. 23 Texas A&M, where the Aggies are laying 14.5 and the over/under is 51.5.
McNeese goes to No. 11 LSU, with no line listed.
In Other News...
Daeden Hopkins Is Becoming Missouris One Sure Defensive Difference-Maker
Daeden Hopkins keeps turning himself into the kind of edge rusher Missouri can build a defense around. The sophomore defensive end just picked up his second SEC defensive lineman of the week honor after a breakout showing against Mississippi State, where he finished with 3.5 sacks. Through four games, Hopkins already leads the Tigers in sacks with six, a sign that his impact is growing fast and that opposing offenses have to account for him on every snap.
For Missouri, that kind of presence changes the shape of a game plan. The Tigers have been waiting for a true difference-maker up front, and Hopkins is starting to look like the most reliable one they have. Around the program, there was also a lighter bit of news as Missouri athletics announced an NIL partnership with Friskies involving Truman the Tiger and a charitable donation program for shelter cats, a reminder that the off-field branding piece is humming too even as Hopkins keeps supplying the on-field headlines. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Faces A Huge Bounce-Back Test Against Unbeaten Florida
After a frustrating 31-24 loss to Mississippi State, Missouri gets a chance to reset quickly with a top-10 opponent coming to Columbia. The Tigers, ranked No. 25, will have their hands full with No. 8 Florida, a team that has opened unbeaten under new coach Jon Sumrall and brings a much bigger spotlight into Memorial Stadium.
The stakes are obvious for Missouri, which needs a bounce-back performance to keep its momentum from slipping further after the setback. Florida arrives with the cleaner resume, and the matchup gives the Tigers an immediate measuring stick against one of the SECs early front-runners, with national attention following along on ABC and FUBO. [Read more 🡒]
Missouris Top 25 Standing Is About To Face Its Biggest Test
Missouris spot at No. 25 in the AP Top 25 has come with a little extra scrutiny, the kind that follows a team sitting on the edge of the poll and drawing skepticism from outside the program. The Tigers have managed to hang around the rankings, but the conversation around them has turned as much toward perception as performance, with some wondering whether their presence is helping the broader SEC picture more than their own rsum.
Now comes the kind of game that can settle plenty of arguments. Florida arrives as the next heavyweight on Missouris schedule, and the Tigers standing figures to be on the line in a way that goes beyond one weeks ranking. A strong showing would give Missouri a real case to stay put, while anything less could make the rest of the season a much tougher climb in the eyes of the voters. [Read more 🡒]