Mizzou’s season took a hard turn this weekend, and the fallout is immediate: the Tigers are out of the AP Top 25 and staring at a brutal trip to Athens.
The 34-20 loss to Texas wasn’t Mizzou’s ugliest performance of the year, but it may have been the most aggravating. The combination of poor officiating, missed red zone chances and possible injuries left the game feeling like a closing chapter. With that, Mizzou’s College Football Playoff hopes are gone.
What’s left is a stretch that doesn’t offer much room to breathe. Georgia is next, and the Tigers are listed as a two-score underdog against a Bulldogs team that has been rolling since its shocking home loss to Auburn.
After that comes Kentucky, now scrambling for its postseason life after being blown out by Tennessee. Then Mizzou closes with Oklahoma, which suddenly looks energized after hammering Florida with Jason Witten calling the plays.
There’s no luxury of easing into the aftermath here. The Tigers have to get back to work right away.
Looking around the SEC in Game 11, the board is loaded with matchups that could shape the league race. Auburn is a 3.5-point favorite against Mississippi State with the total set at 49.5.
No. 7 Alabama is a massive 19.5-point favorite over Vanderbilt, with an over/under of 54.5.
No. 9 Tennessee is a slim 2.5-point favorite against Texas A&M in a game lined at 42.5.
Missouri’s own matchup with No. 1 Georgia carries a 14.5-point spread and a 46.5 total.
Elsewhere, No. 19 Ole Miss is a 2.5-point favorite against Oklahoma, Florida is a 3.5-point underdog at No.
13 Kentucky, No. 8 Texas is a 3.5-point favorite over No.
24 LSU, and No. 20 South Carolina is favored by 7.5 against Arkansas, with that one set at 51.5.
In Other News...
Missouris Texas Loss Exposed A Problem The Tigers Couldnt Hide
Missouris 34-20 loss to Texas in a top-25 matchup left plenty to sort through, and the snap counts tell part of the story. On defense, linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez was the Tigers highest-graded player at 81.9, finishing with 12 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, a busy afternoon that stood out even in a game where Missouri spent long stretches trying to keep pace.
On the other side, Austin Simmons posted the teams best offensive grade at 77.5 while completing 23 of 43 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. The broader picture from the playing-time breakdown is harder to ignore, though, because Missouris rotation on both sides of the ball reflected a team still searching for the right answers in a game that exposed more than it solved. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Just Got A Ranking Snub At The Worst Time
Missouris stumble against Texas cost the Tigers more than a loss in the standings. After sitting at No. 19, they dropped out of the US LBM Coaches Poll entirely and landed as the second team just outside the top 25, a reminder of how quickly one rough afternoon can change the national view of a team in the middle of a big season.
The timing makes the snub sting even more because Georgia is next on the schedule, and that matchup will offer a fast chance to answer it. The updated poll also reshuffled the rest of the national picture, but for Missouri the focus now turns to proving the Texas loss was a detour rather than the start of a slide. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzous Loss Exposed One Problem Talent Alone Wont Fix
Missouris 90-84 loss to Saint Louis offered an early reminder that raw talent only goes so far. The Tigers had enough individual ability to stay in the game, and their more experienced players did their part, but the overall picture was harder to ignore. Saint Louis looked like a team that had spent more time together, with continuity among its starters showing up in the places Missouri was still trying to sort out.
For Missouri, the biggest issues were the ones that tend to linger into a long season if they are not cleaned up quickly. The freshmen had trouble with defensive rotations and never found much rhythm shooting, while the Tigers as a group did not always play with the kind of unselfishness and consistency needed to win in conference play. There is enough skill on the roster to make Missouri dangerous, but this game showed how much work remains before that talent starts functioning like a complete team. [Read more 🡒]