Without playing, Mizzou Tigers climb in new AP Top 25 college football rankings

For the third consecutive season, the Missouri Tigers football team has entered the AP’s first 15, checking in at No. 14 in this week’s AP Top 25.

While the Tigers were on a bye, a slew of teams ahead of them stumbled over the weekend. Penn State, which lost to previously winless UCLA, went from No. 7 to unranked altogether. Texas, which lost to 1-3 Florida, dropped from No. 9 to unranked.

Iowa State, Vanderbilt and Florida State also tumbled following losses.

Mizzou wasn’t the only team that benefited from the chaos at the top, as the Tigers were one of 13 teams that moved up at least two spots in the AP poll released Sunday.

Four of MU’s future opponents in this week’s AP Top 25: Texas A&M (No. 5), Oklahoma (No. 6), Alabama (No. 8) and Vanderbilt (No. 20). Saturday’s matchup between the Tigers and Crimson Tide will be the first AP top 15 matchup in Columbia since Sept. 29, 1979.

When MU played host to Oklahoma in 2010, the Tigers were No. 11 in the BCS standings but No. 18 in the AP poll. OU was No. 1 in the BCS and No. 3 in the AP poll.

Also notable: In the new US LBM Coaches Poll, Mizzou moved up from No. 18 to No. 14.

‘SEC Nation’ returning to Columbia

On Sunday morning, SEC Nation announced that it would be coming back to Columbia for MU’s contest with Alabama.

This will be the show’s second appearance in Columbia this season, the first coming in Week 2 for the return of the Border War.

Unlike SEC Nation’s appearance last month, when the show was stationed on Carnahan Quad, it will be set up at Walsworth Plaza outside of Mizzou Arena this time around.

Prior to this season, the show’s last appearance at Mizzou was in September 2019, when MU played host to West Virginia.

Copyright 2025 Columbia Missourian

This story was originally published October 5, 2025 at 5:20 PM.