Game-by-game predictions for Missouri football in 2025 season. Our picks for Tigers are in

Mizzou has a chance to do something that has never been accomplished in program history.

Missouri football will open its season, as it has for the past three seasons, on a Thursday night, with the Tigers set to face Central Arkansas on Aug. 28 on Faurot Field. That kicks off a campaign in which Eli Drinkwitz and his crew have a shot to put together a third straight, double-digit win season. That has never happened in Columbia.

The Tigers’ win total for the season has been set at 7.5 in Las Vegas, and the Tribune has been tasked with making projections for the upcoming season.

Spoiler: We’re taking the over.

Here’s how we see the season shaking out, with game-by-game predictions for the Tigers in 2025.

Central Arkansas

Prediction: Missouri 49, UCA 3

With all due respect to the FCS-level Bears, the Tigers shouldn’t have too many issues on Thursday. We should see the reserves on Faurot Field at some time in the third or fourth quarter.

More: Which true freshmen could play for Missouri football this season? These redshirts won’t last

Kansas

Prediction: Missouri 28, Kansas 21

Our scoreline for this game changed after what the Jayhawks did to Fresno State in Week 0. Jalon Daniels was 18-of-20 passing for 176 yards and a touchdown, and that probably says more about KU than it does Fresno State.

Mizzou’s defense looks like it’s going to get an early test, and a new-look MU offense will have to score with some regularity to claim a Border War win. This is a test of who the Tigers are — and maybe even a bigger examination than we anticipated as little as 48 hours ago.

Louisiana

Prediction: Missouri 31, Louisiana 21

Do not underestimate the Ragin’ Cajuns. This is a 10-win team from the Sun Belt that, granted, has a lot of turnover, but will not be a cakewalk for the Tigers with former five-star QB Walker Howard running the offense.

Missouri seems to have one of these games each year: An overmatched opponent that hangs around longer than you’d like. Think Boston College last season and MTSU the year before. With Kansas a week earlier and South Carolina a week later — two huge games in MU’s season — this is a real letdown spot.

South Carolina

Prediction: Missouri 28, South Carolina 24

This is maybe the toughest game to predict on the schedule. LaNorris Sellers is the type dangerman who can singlehandedly swing any game, as he showed in a tremendous performance against the Tigers last season in Columbia, South Carolina.

However this shakes out, we see it going down to the wire. On paper, these are two evenly matched squads, and whoever wins can feel really good about the trajectory of their season.

Give us Mizzou, but only just.

UMass

Prediction: Missouri 56, UMass 3

Next.

More: Missouri football QB competition is near its end. Here’s what Drinkwitz wants to see

Alabama

Prediction: Alabama 35, Missouri 21

There are questions about the Crimson Tide, sure. They have a new starting quarterback in Ty Simpson. Starting running back Jam Miller picked up a preseason injury but is expected to return before the MU matchup.

But there aren’t many — any? — other glaring holes on Kalen DeBoer’s second team, either. This is a much more complete roster than his first. The Tigers shouldn’t be uncompetitive like last year, when Brady Cook’s injuries ruined a potentially exciting game in Tuscaloosa. But, we also don’t think Mizzou ends its six-game home streak undefeated, so the wait goes on for a blue-blood win. 

Auburn

Prediction: Missouri 30, Auburn 28

Two’s a pattern. The last couple of games between these teams have been sheer, unfiltered chaos: A game-sealing fumble into the end zone and a hospitalized quarterback leading a game-winning drive, kind of chaos.

So, let’s just go ahead and say they run it back. 

Missouri could do with a major road win under Drinkwitz, and this would qualify. Auburn might have the best wide receiving corps in the conference, but I have questions about AU elsewhere (quarterback and coaching, mainly) and think Mizzou gets it done on the Plains.

Vanderbilt

Prediction: Missouri 24, Vanderbilt 17

Other than major returners in Diego Pavia and Eli Stowers, it seems like Vanderbilt may regress a little this year. Still, you know what you’re getting with the quarterback they have in the picture.

Pull up the bootstraps and prepare for some punches, but anything other than a win is a problem.

Texas A&M

Prediction: Texas A&M 24, Missouri 21

The Tigers have been excellent on Faurot Field in recent years and, even despite a horrid showing last season in College Station, this should be a competitive game.

We absolutely expect Mike Elko to make this a hard-nosed football team, and the Aggies might have the best running back room in the league. That’s why we’re giving the Aggies the edge here, but the visitors have a roster with more promise than proof with a question at quarterback and a retooled defensive line, so it could absolutely go the other way.

Mississippi State

Prediction: Missouri 35, Mississippi State 14

Mississippi State should take a step forward from its 2-10 debut season under Jeff Lebby, but not by much. Anything other than a convincing Mizzou win in its home finale would be a disappointment as the Bulldogs’ rebuild continues.

Oklahoma

Prediction: Oklahoma 28, Missouri 21

I can already tell this pick won’t be popular. But, this looks like a much-improved Oklahoma outfit, and a road game in prime time on ABC/ESPN is a massive stage.

The OU defense is going to be a problem. John Mateer is an improvement at quarterback. The Sooners’ full crew of wide receivers will not be sidelined with injury this time.

It was a stunning game last season, and we’d expect the same here. But road wins aren’t easy to come by in the SEC.

Arkansas

Prediction: Missouri 28, Arkansas 17

Arkansas might be better this season, but there’s a good chance this is a similar situation to the 2023 game in Fayetteville, where the Razorbacks’ season was already over by the time the Tigers visited.

Hot seat discussions are going to hang over Sam Pittman all year. Their schedule is truly brutal. The game is far too far away to come up with a meaningful prediction, but we could see the Tigers’ recent run of dominance in the series continuing.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here are our game-by-game predictions for Missouri football in 2025