Missouri’s 2026 schedule doesn’t offer much room to breathe, but ESPN’s Football Power Index still sees a path to a respectable season for Eli Drinkwitz’s team.
The Tigers are trying to climb toward the top of the SEC after spending years in the middle of the pack, and they’ll have to do it against one of the toughest slates they’ve faced in recent memory. Five opponents on the schedule are ranked in the preseason top 25, and even with the league’s new 9-game setup, Missouri only has four SEC road trips.
ESPN’s updated FPI projections give Missouri a better-than-50% chance to win in seven of its 12 games. The model also pegs the Tigers for 6.67 wins on average, which points to six or seven victories as the most reasonable expectation.
Here’s how ESPN sees each game:
Sept. 3 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff: 99.9% chance to win
Sept. 11 vs. Kansas: 72.0% chance to win
Sept. 19 vs. Troy: 93.9% chance to win
Sept. 26 vs. Mississippi State: 67.3% chance to win
Oct. 3 vs. Florida: 54.1% chance to win
Oct. 10 vs. Texas A&M: 34.0% chance to win
Oct. 17 vs. Ole Miss: 32.2% chance to win
Oct. 31 vs. Arkansas: 67.1% chance to win
Nov. 7 vs. Texas: 18.1% chance to win
Nov. 14 vs. Georgia: 13.4% chance to win
Nov. 21 vs. Kentucky: 75.4% chance to win
Nov. 28 vs. Oklahoma: 39.7% chance to win
Missouri opens the 2026 season at home against FCS opponent Arkansas Pine-Bluff on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET, with the game set for SEC Network.
In Other News...
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The catch is that his case is still not fully settled, with a fifth year of eligibility not yet confirmed. For Missouri, that leaves the situation in a holding pattern for now, even as the possibility of landing Mitchell adds a little more intrigue to an offseason already full of movement and expectation around the program. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Just Got Pulled Back Into A Mark Mitchell Twist
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Missouri Suddenly Has A Courtroom Problem Before The Season Opener
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The filing is meant to keep the school from taking steps that would sideline him next season, including ruling him ineligible. A hearing on the motion, along with the NCAAs bid to dismiss Webbs original request, is set for Wednesday, giving Missouri another off-field issue to monitor just as the on-field attention turns to opening week. [Read more 🡒]