No. 7 Texas and No. 18 Missouri are staring at a game that could shape the rest of their seasons, and the stakes are plain enough: the loser will be carrying three defeats in 2026.
That alone gives Saturday’s SEC matchup a heavy feel, even before you get to what’s waiting down the road. Missouri (6-2, 3-2 SEC) has a trip to No.
2 Georgia next week. Texas (6-2, 3-2) heads to LSU.
For now, though, the focus is on Columbia, where Missouri gets a major edge by simply being at home.
Eli Drinkwitz’s team has been tough to beat at Memorial Stadium, going 25-4 there since 2023 and selling out 25 straight games. Missouri has backed that up on the field this season, too, with lopsided home wins over Texas A&M and No.
8 Florida, plus blowouts of Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Troy. Across those four games, the Tigers have outscored visitors 153-54.
“I don’t ever take that for granted with these fans,” Drinkwitz said Tuesday.
Texas, meanwhile, has already shown it can win in a hostile setting. The Longhorns knocked off No.
14 Tennessee 20-17 in Knoxville when they were ranked No. 1, and they have not lost a true road game this season. That’s a sharp contrast from last year, when they went 2-3 away from home.
Under Steve Sarkisian, Texas is 14-9 on the road after opening his tenure 1-6 in 2021-22.
Sarkisian pointed to the obvious when discussing the challenge of playing away from home.
“Home-field advantage should be an advantage,” Sarkisian said.
Texas is coming off a 31-3 win over Mississippi State, a game Sarkisian described as a strong all-around effort. He singled out Arch Manning for his ability to hit explosive throws downfield and credited the defense for producing seven sacks.
Two defenders earned weekly conference honors: linebacker Rasheem Biles, who had eight tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles, and defensive lineman Maraad Watson.
Missouri also arrives with momentum after a 34-10 win over Arkansas, a game in which the Tigers turned four turnovers into 24 points. Edge rusher Darris Smith even got in on the scoring, recovering an early fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.
The matchup may come down to how healthy Texas is on the outside. The Longhorns’ receiving group is a major part of the offense when it’s intact, but Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo both finished the Mississippi State game with shoulder injuries.
Drinkwitz said Missouri would prepare as if both were going to play. Starting running back Hollywood Smothers also left the MSU game with shoulder and knee injuries that could keep him out for weeks.
Sarkisian said Texas’ depth showed up against Mississippi State and called it “a heck of a team win.”
That depth could matter again if the Longhorns are short-handed, especially with Manning still trying to find his top gear. He entered the season with plenty of buzz, but he ranks 65th of 141 quarterbacks in Total QBR. Missouri, though, has its own potential edge at quarterback with Austin Simmons, who ranks 36th in QBR.
“We have a lot of trust in what Austin does with the ball in his hand,” Drinkwitz said.
With both teams trying to stay alive in the SEC race, that trust might end up deciding everything.
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What comes next is the difficult part, because the ranking only matters if Texas keeps stacking wins down the stretch. If the order holds, the Longhorns could be staring at a first-round matchup with Ole Miss and, if they advance, a second-round meeting with Georgia, a path that underlines how narrow the margin is between being in the field and being on the outside looking in. [Read more 🡒]
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Texas Could Land A Rare Receiver Talent Fans Need To Watch
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For the Longhorns, this is the kind of national chase that can shape the early feel of a recruiting class long before it takes form. Wright has built a reputation as a standout at Mandarin High School with the kind of athletic profile and following that tend to draw attention far beyond state lines, and Texas is hoping that appeal translates into a future on the Forty Acres. [Read more 🡒]