Missouri is back in the national conversation, and Saturday gives the Tigers another chance to prove they belong there.
No. 13 Missouri enters the week at 5-1 overall and 2-1 in SEC play after a 27-6 win over Texas A&M. That victory mattered for a few reasons: it gave Eli Drinkwitz his first win over Mike Elko, and it snapped Missouri’s drought against the Aggies, who had beaten the Tigers in every meeting since 2014.
Now comes the harder test. The next box Missouri has to check is the one that keeps separating good teams from the ones that want to be taken seriously in the playoff race: a road win over a ranked opponent.
The Tigers’ last one came on October 14, 2023, when they beat No. 24 Kentucky 38-21.
Since then, they’ve dropped seven straight on the road.
That kind of result is never easy to find in the SEC, but it’s the sort of win that changes the way a season looks. Missouri heads to Oxford on Saturday to face No. 9 Ole Miss, and the matchup gives the Tigers a real chance to land the kind of statement victory that would put them firmly in the College Football Playoff mix.
The market likes the Rebels in this one. FanDuel Sportsbook has Ole Miss as a 6.5-point favorite. So the question hanging over the game is simple: can Missouri finally break through on the road against a ranked team, or does the skid continue for Drinkwitz and the Tigers?
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Kewan Lacy Brings Extra Heat To Ole Miss' Missouri Showdown
The No. 13 Tigers head into a Week 7 road trip to No. 9 Ole Miss with plenty at stake, and the matchup carries an extra layer because former Missouri running back Kewan Lacy is now part of the Rebels attack. Lacy spent his freshman season in Columbia before transferring, and his rise since then has only sharpened the attention around this meeting between two top-15 teams.
Missouri running back Jamal Roberts, who was teammates with Lacy in 2024, said the two still keep in touch even with the game on deck. The connection adds a personal wrinkle to a matchup already loaded with SEC stakes, but once kickoff arrives, both sides know the familiarity should make for a fierce and competitive afternoon. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Simmons Returns To Ole Miss With Missouri Facing A Huge SEC Test
Austin Simmons heads into one of the seasons most intriguing SEC matchups with a familiar backdrop, as the No. 13 Tigers travel to face No. 9 Ole Miss and a roster that includes several players who once called Oxford home. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz has framed the game as bigger than just a ranking matchup, noting the added layer for Simmons and the other former Rebels now wearing black and gold. It is the kind of crossover story that gives an already high-stakes conference game a little extra edge.
For Missouri, the timing only heightens the significance, with Simmons continuing to settle in as the teams starter while the Tigers try to keep pace in a crowded SEC race. Ole Miss enters with its own momentum and its own coaching perspective on what this meeting means, which only adds to the tension surrounding a game that has plenty of weight beyond the box score. The only real question now is how Simmons handles the return trip when the spotlight is waiting for him in familiar territory. [Read more 🡒]
Missouris Season May Hinge On One Fight Dennis Gates Wont Miss
Dennis Gates is making sure Missouris latest offseason storyline gets the attention he thinks it deserves. At SEC Tipoff, the Tigers coach spoke earlier than scheduled and said he plans to be in Kentucky for Mark Mitchells court hearing, where Mitchell is seeking a fifth season of NCAA eligibility. Gates made clear he supports Mitchell, a move that underscores how much this case could matter to Missouri as it tries to shape its roster for the year ahead.
The timing matters because Gates is already piecing together the Tigers next team around a mix of youth and additions. He pointed to freshmen Jason Crowe Jr. and Toni Bryant as expected starters, while also welcoming transfer Bryson Tiller into the mix. Gates has long leaned on player development and recruiting flexibility, and for Missouri, Mitchells situation now sits alongside those roster-building plans as one more important variable to watch. [Read more 🡒]