Missouri has quite the schedule this season, one that is favorable, yet strange in its structure. The Tigers open up the season with six straight home games, a schedule that, in my 15 years of watching the sport, I have never seen. Mizzou opens up its season with Central Arkansas on a Thursday, which is seemingly becoming a trend. Eli and the crew will also get Kansas at home in week two. They will open up SEC play with South Carolina and get a shot against the Crimson Tide. They will transition to two road games, two home games, and finish out with two away games. 

Going into this year, the team faces a level of uncertainty that it hasn’t experienced in roughly two years. Many of the top contributors have departed, including the likes of Brady Cook, Luther Burden, Theo Wease, Mookie Cooper, Johnny Walker, and more. Mizzou’s roster, which is not necessarily a new thing in the landscape of the sport, is predominantly transfers, some of which are unproven at the SEC level. With a brand new starting QB, which will likely be named in fall camp, a revitalized receiver room, and a reloaded defense, fans and experts have no idea what to make of this season. The only way to truly know what this team will be is to simply play the games. However, as many could assume, some games are going to tell the full picture more than others. Let’s go over a few of these games and talk about why they are important to Missouri’s success.

1. Week two, VS Kansas

• This game truly doesn’t need an explanation to relay its importance, but for the sake of this piece, I’ll allow it. The last time that the bitter rivals met was in 2011, the last year of Missouri’s Big 12 run. Missouri capped off the series on a three-game win streak, looking to extend it this season. Kansas has been on the uptick as a program, with Lance Leipold reviving what had seemed to be a nearly lifeless team. Kansas has been in the AP poll numerous times in Leipold’s four seasons, and has experienced a form of consistency for the first time since the Mangino era. All of this to say, Mizzou can’t just chalk this up as a win, because as hard as it is to say for fans, Kansas is no longer an awful program. This game will show us early on how well Mizzou can handle pressure. I think it’s a safe assumption to make that this will be by far the rowdiest crowd of the season, and players will surely feel that. Every student on campus who cares an ounce will be reminding players who is next on the schedule. Videos will be tweeted out during the lead-up, like the infamous sack of Todd Reesing. This game isn’t just about beating your rival; it’s going to be the ultimate test of how well this young, new team can handle emotions and adversity. If Missouri can come out of this successfully, expect it to give them a boost of momentum for the rest of the season.

2. Week four, VS South Carolina

• I would make the argument that this is Missouri’s most important game on the schedule, as it pertains to helping fans understand who this team is. South Carolina is Missouri’s twin, essentially, as it’s a team that is starting to creep up on the upper echelon of SEC programs. South Carolina comes into the ‘25 season with lots of hype, as the Gamecocks feature a rising star QB in Lanoris Sellers. Nick Harbor leads the receiving core, as a physical anomaly, that has track star speed. The Gamecocks’ defense lost five players to the NFL draft, but still retains talent and time and time again has proven to be a unit that is well-coached. The intriguing thing about this game comes from the appeal of being the conference opener, but also just the history of this game. South Carolina and Missouri have repeatedly played close games, dating back to 2013, where Missouri lost after a missed field goal, or even the next year, where Missouri snuck out of the other Columbia with a one-point win. Victory was snatched out of the hands of Mizzou last season, after losing a thriller, but the Tigers have a chance to avenge that heartbreaker and get back to winning ways.

3. Week 8, @ Auburn

• Week 8 against Auburn will give us a glimpse at what Missouri is like on the road, which is why it’s so important. As stated, Missouri starts off with six home games, meaning they don’t play on the road until week 7, which is ludicrous. Auburn is led by Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold, who is looking to revitalize his career after an underwhelming stint in Norman. The big story of this game completely weighs upon how well the Tigers are headed into it. Missouri has the chance to be 6-0 heading into this game, but one bad loss on the road can derail a season, so this will be a large test for the Tigers. In that exact scenario, Missouri would have Alabama, and if the Tigers are to beat the Tide, this could very well be a letdown game. Jordan-Hare has been proven to be one of the toughest places to play, but if the Tigers can get a big win on the road, a potential playoff appearance doesn’t seem to be too far out of the picture.

There are a few games that could be argued to be in this list, so let’s face it, every game is important. Missouri could see itself in the college football playoff, or simply just have a 7-5 or 8-4 year. Only a couple more Saturdays and we will begin to figure that out.