Despite questions about how well newcomers will complement returning starters and whether Mississippi State transfer Austin Simmons will flourish under an offensive system that is well above average for protecting its quarterback, the biggest question for the 2026 edition of Missouri Tiger football is the same as it has been in Eliah Drinkwitz’s previous six seasons at the Tigers’ helm.
Can Mizzou continue to beat the teams it is supposed to beat while also beating some of the “really good teams” on its schedule? Such is the benchmark when you’re competing to compete in the SEC. Case in point: Eight of Mizzou’s last nine regular-season losses were to teams with nine wins or more, and all eight wins last season were against teams that finished with losing records.
The 2026 campaign kicks off at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 3, against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Memorial Stadium in Columbia. The Florida Gators come to Faurot Field for Mizzou’s homecoming on Saturday, October 3. The Florida game has added significance because of the answer to this question: How long has it been since Missouri beaten a power conference team that finished with 10 or more wins? Go back to November 2018, when the Tigers beat a Gators team that finished 10-3 that season. Since that point seven-plus years ago, Missouri is 0-14 in regular season games against power conference squads that finished with 10 or more wins. Is a different trajectory around the corner?
College Football News, which forecasts a 7-5 record for the 2026 Tigers, at least compliments Missouri as a program that “has become relevant in an SEC world that doesn’t share the spotlight.” CFN also predicts a best-case vs. worst-case scenario that reflects Mizzou’s most recent past: An at-large spot in the College Football Playoff or a struggle to even become bowl eligible. Ouch.
One of the best certainties is that Missouri has a deep quarterback room but not a quarterback competition with Simmons behind center. And he has Cayden Lee – his former teammate at Ole Miss – and Caleb Goodie from Cincinnati to throw to. Even as running back Ahmad Hardy continues to recover from a gunshot injury to his leg, the offense appears to be well grounded. There are several new faces to the defense, which finished eighth in the nation overall last season, allowing fewer than 19 points and just 277 yards per game.
Also consider that the Tigers’ schedule does not include Alabama, LSU, or Tennessee, but then you see a five-game stretch against Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Texas, Georgia, and Arkansas before closing at home against Kentucky and Oklahoma. Beating the teams they are supposed to beat, and winning one or more of those games against SEC foes, would be a major step forward for Drinkwitz and Co. Is there too much turnover to expect that step?
Season the full schedule HERE.
The Game Plan’s 2026 prediction for Mizzou football? We’re feeling optimistic.
8-4
