Mizzou's 2020 football opponents revealed
After moths of speculation, we finally know who the Missouri football team will play in 2020 — provided college football gets played at all, of course. The Southeastern Conference unveiled the 10 opponents for each team's league-only schedule on SEC Network Friday afternoon.
The big news for Missouri is that it adds LSU and Alabama from the SEC West division, while keeping Mississippi State on the schedule. When the SEC announced last Thursday that teams would play a 10-game, conference-only schedule, the league revealed that divisions would stay intact, meaning Missouri would still play each of the other six members of the SEC East.
The Tigers' annual season-ending rivalry game against Arkansas is still on the schedule as well, although athletics director Jim Sterk said that game will likely be played in Columbia rather than Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium, as had been originally scheduled. Missouri had been scheduled to visit Mississippi State prior to the schedule being re-formatted due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Sterk said last week he didn't know whether that game would still be played. The other two opponents appear to have been decided in an effort to create an even strength of schedule for each league member.
Missouri's road matchup at LSU will be its second trip to Baton Rouge since joining the SEC. LSU has never made the journey to Columbia. Missouri lost 42-7 at LSU in 2016. The defending national champions debuted at No. 5 in the Amway Coaches' Poll after the loss of Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Joe Burrow. The matchup against Alabama, which will be played in Columbia, will be the fourth matchup between the Tigers and Crimson Tide since 2012. Alabama has won each of the previous three meetings. Nick Saban's squad, as always, is considered the league's best bet to win a national title and debuted at No. 3 in the coaches' poll.
The only thing left to find out about Missouri's schedule Is the date each matchup will be played. Sterk said he expects the Arkansas matchup to remain on the last week of the regular season, which would be Dec. 5 this year, but aside from that, who the Tigers will face each week remains a mystery. The season Is set to begin Sept. 26. Missouri will begin fall camp practices Aug. 17.