Missouri will open 2017 football season with four straight home games

For the first time in 109 years, Missouri football will open the season with four consecutive home games in 2017.

The Tigers opened the 1908 football season with five straight home games under then-head coach W.J. Monilaw — picking up wins against Warrensburg, Missouri School of Mines, Iowa and Westminster before a loss to Iowa State and a road win at Drake during a 6-2 campaign.

Mizzou opened at West Virginia this season, a schedule first-year coach Barry Odom wasn’t thrilled with.

He should be happier next season, which kicks off with the first meeting against Missouri State since 1923.

The Tigers then launch into conference play, hosting South Carolina (Sept. 9) and Auburn (Sept. 23) sandwiched around a Sept. 16 visit from Purdue.

The matchup with the Gamecocks is the second-earliest Southeastern Conference game in MU history.

The Tigers’ first SEC game — Sept. 8, 2012, against Georgia — is the only other conference game the program has played before week four since leaving the Big 12.

After a late-September bye, Missouri will spend most of October on the road with games at Kentucky (Oct. 7), Georgia (Oct. 14) and Connecticut (Oct. 28).

The only home game that month, Oct. 21 against Idaho, will serve as homecoming.

The Tigers open November with consecutive home games against Florida (Nov. 4) and Tennessee (Nov. 11), the latter of which is the earliest Senior Day since 2008.

Mizzou closes the regular season with road games at Vanderbilt (Nov. 18) and Arkansas (Nov. 25).

Once again, the finale with the Razorbacks is scheduled for the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but it’s been moved to Friday with a 1:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS each of the last three seasons.

Tod Palmer: 816-234-4389, @todpalmer

This story was originally published September 13, 2016 at 9:06 PM with the headline "Missouri will open 2017 football season with four straight home games."