Mizzou won 11 games in 2023, including four games over top 25 opponents.
The Tigers have their eyes set on a bigger prize this year, the College Football Playoff, but they will likely have to win at least 10 regular season games again to get there.
So, here's a list of the five most important games for Missouri a little more than a month out from the season.
at Texas A&M, Oct. 5
If Missouri loses any of its first four games, all at home, it's already in a bit of trouble. However, that seems very unlikely. The true test comes in Week 6 against Texas A&M.
Kyle Field is one of the most raucous stadiums to play in no matter how good or bad the team is. The Aggies under new head coach Mike Elko will be battle tested by the time they face Mizzou with games versus Norte Dame and Florida already on the schedule.
On top of that, the last time Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz faced off against Elko was in 2021 when the former was still MU’s offensive coordinator and the latter was TXAMU's defensive coordinator and safeties coach. In that contest, the Aggies handily defeated the Tigers 35-14.
vs. Auburn, Oct. 19
The big thing with this game is that if Mizzou wins it, it'll be 7-0 heading into the Alabama game the next week. So, more or less, this is a trap game.
Auburn does have preseason All-SEC first-team selection running back Jarquez Hunter returning after he ran for 909 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023. He will be the team's focal point and likely the reason Auburn could win the game.
On top of the trap game nature of the game, Missouri needs to get some revenge for what happened a couple of years ago in Auburn. A missed field goal at the end of regulation and a fumble at the goal line in overtime led to a loss that should've been a win.
at Alabama, Oct. 26
This is unquestionably the biggest game of the year. Maybe things will change when these two play in Week 9. But for now, this is Mizzou's game of the year.
Missouri should be 7-0 going into this game and Alabama could be 7-0 but it has a tough schedule before this game. The Crimson Tide must play at Wisconsin, Georgia and at Tennessee before they play Mizzou. So, this could be anywhere from a 4-3 to a 7-0 Alabama team needing a win over a potential 6-1 or 7-0 Mizzou team.
A win for Alabama could be a bounce-back win or one that solidifies its status as one of the nation's elite in 2024. A win for Missouri on the road would likely solidify it as one of the league's best and increase its chances of making the CFP.
vs.Oklahoma, Nov. 9
This game will almost certainly be the biggest home game of the season for the Tigers. It'll be the first time the teams have faced off since 2011 and the first time Mizzou has hosted the Sooners since 2010 when MU knocked off the then-No. 1 ranked Sooners.
Oklahoma went 10-3 last year and was consistently one of the best Big 12 teams of the 21st century. So, it won't be a slouch, but like Alabama, it will have been battle-tested when it faces Missouri, having faced Tulane, Tennessee, Texas and Ole Miss.
For Mizzou, if it comes into this game undefeated or with a loss to someone other than Alabama this game can give them the extra stamp of approval that it is one of the nation's best teams.
If the Tigers enter the game with one loss and it's to Alabama, a win versus OU could still give them a notable win.
Also, the teams have seemingly intersected a lot over the last 12 months, which has the fan bases excited for the return of the Tiger-Sooner Peace Pipe.
at South Carolina, Nov. 16
This could be a letdown game of sorts for Mizzou. Coming off a win or loss to OU could mean the team is emotionally high or low after likely playing one of their two best games of the season. A win over OU entering this game could result in Mizzou overlooking South Carolina, while a loss could have the Tigers slumping.
Missouri has won the last five contests against the Gamecocks but the games are usually pretty entertaining and a few of them have been pretty close.
It would just be a bad time for Mizzou to start slumping. This is the third-to-last game of its season with the other two being against Mississippi State and Arkansas. Mizzou has to win all of those games and probably has to do it in style and it starts in Columbia, South Carolina in Week 12.
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