Mizzou will resume football series against Illinois with four-year agreement

Missouri is resuming a football series with a school bordering the Show-Me State.

No, the Tigers aren’t playing Kansas, who MU coach Barry Odom has expressed interest in scheduling. Instead, Mizzou announced on Monday that it will participate in a four-year home-and-home series with Illinois.

Missouri will play at Illinois on Sept. 26, 2026 and Sept. 16, 2028. The Illini will come to Columbia for games on Sept. 18, 2027 and Sept. 15, 2029.

These are the first games the Mizzou football program has contracted beyond the 2025 season. Last week, MU announced a two-game, home and home agreement with Kansas State that will take place in 2022 and 2023.

“This is another opportunity to renew a great football rivalry that we believe Tiger fans everywhere will be excited about,” MU athletic director Jim Sterk said in a release.

Mizzou and Illinois have played 24 times, and the Tigers lead the series 17-7. Mizzou has won seven of the last eight meetings between the teams, including a 23-13 Tigers victory the last time the teams played, on Sept. 4, 2010 in St. Louis.

This series with Illinois will fulfill Missouri’s obligation during these seasons to schedule a Power Five nonconference opponent, which the Southeastern Conference mandates.

Mizzou also announced on Monday that it has scheduled a Nov. 21, 2020 home game against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. This completes the Tigers’ 2020 football schedule. During that season, Missouri will also host Central Arkansas and Eastern Michigan in the nonconference, as well as travel to BYU.

This story was originally published November 20, 2017 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Mizzou will resume football series against Illinois with four-year agreement."