Can Mizzou Tigers keep the wins coming? A look at MU’s remaining football schedule

Throughout October, Major League Baseball will find out which teams are truly championship-caliber. The same applies to college football, except we’re less certain of which teams are actually good.

Way less certain.

UCLA, which entered Saturday 0-4 and less than a month removed from firing its head coach, almost reached its point total from its first four games combined in a 42-37 upset of Penn State. Florida, which entered Saturday 1-3, took down Texas. The Longhorns and Nittany Lions were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the preseason AP Top 25. Now, they’re both 3-2 and out of the AP poll.

Elsewhere, the two highest-ranked SEC teams aren’t Alabama and Georgia, while the class of the ACC includes Georgia Tech, Virginia and Duke. Remaining undefeateds include traditional college football powerhouses like … Texas Tech and Indiana.

Mizzou, which has also yet to take a loss, begins its crusade across a difficult SEC schedule this Saturday against Alabama. With no non-conference games left on the schedule, MU doesn’t have any more layups ahead.

This past weekend, Mizzou was on a bye, which allowed many (including beat writers) to check in on other teams besides the Tigers. Here’s how each of MU’s seven future opponents has fared through the first month and change of the 2025 season.

Alabama (4-1)

Since its season-opening loss to Florida State, Alabama has rebounded nicely with four straight wins, its last two coming over formidable foes in Georgia and Vanderbilt.

The Crimson Tide aren’t the Death Star they were under Nick Saban, but they’re still a strong force in the college football galaxy. Quarterback Ty Simpson, who looked a little shell-shocked in Tallahassee, has looked much more comfortable throwing the ball. His ability to extend plays with his legs has also been a huge help.

Alabama’s defense has undergone a similar process. After a performance against Florida State that would’ve turned Saban into a human volcano, the unit has allowed just 49 points over UA’s past four games.

One issue, however, has been the Crimson Tide’s inability to generate much pressure. According to Pro Football Focus, Damon Wilson II, Zion Young and Darris Smith have almost as many pressures as Alabama’s entire defense.

Auburn (3-2)

At Oklahoma, Jackson Arnold was sacked a lot and struggled creating explosive plays with his arm. He was sacked 36 times (most in the SEC), and his 5.7 yards per pass attempt tied for the second-lowest of any FBS quarterback with at least 200 passes.

At Auburn, where the former 5-star recruit transferred last December, Arnold has … been sacked a lot (14 over the past two games) and has struggled creating explosive plays with his arm (6.3 yards per attempt). Auburn’s offensive line hasn’t performed to expectations, but Arnold has also held onto the ball too long on numerous occasions.

Other units have played well so far. Running back Jeremiah Cobb is averaging just under seven yards per carry, while Eric Singleton Jr. and Cam Coleman have been one of the more exciting wideout duos in the SEC. The Tiger defense has also kept Auburn afloat, as none of AU’s first five opponents crossed 24 points.

But if the offense continues to sputter, it’ll be another frustrating season on the Plains.

Vanderbilt (4-1)

This isn’t the same Vanderbilt your grandpa remembers, or your parents remember, or … well, the Vanderbilt you remember, either, as the Commodores have hardly ever looked this good.

Despite a 30-14 loss to Alabama, Vanderbilt led for most of the first half and was within one possession of Alabama late in the fourth quarter. Here’s one marker of major progress: With VU’s 40-35 upset of the Crimson Tide last season, Alabama’s point differential over the past two matchups is plus-11, the lowest in the series since 1984-85.

Through six games, the Commodores have proven that last season’s breakthrough wasn’t a fluke. Diego Pavia leads the SEC with 14 touchdown passes, while Junior Sherrill and Eli Stowers have been a productive pass-catching duo.

On defense, Vanderbilt has swarmed opposing backfields, as five players have at least four tackles for loss. The Tigers will face a tough test when they travel to Nashville in three weeks.

Texas A&M (5-0)

Saturday’s win over Mississippi State wasn’t pretty, but a dominant fourth quarter brought Texas A&M to 5-0 for the first time since 2016.

While Marcel Reed has gone through ups and downs at quarterback, he’s flanked by an elite supporting cast that features a deep running back room, a sturdy offensive line and a pair of electric transfers at wideout.

Mario Craver (Mississippi State) and KC Concepcion (NC State) have averaged almost 18 yards per reception, while Craver leads the SEC with 557 receiving yards. On the other side, Cashius Howell leads the SEC with seven sacks.

Within the good times, however, lies dark history. Last season, the Aggies started 7-1, then finished 1-4. Coach Mike Elko said that his team didn’t handle late-season pressure well; how the Aggies do so could determine whether they finally break through into college football’s upper echelon.

Mississippi State (4-2).

Despite consecutive losses to Tennessee and Texas A&M, the Bulldogs have looked far better than advertised, beating Arizona State while taking the Volunteers to overtime en route to a 4-2 record.

While making a bowl game seemed difficult before the season, that has become a lot more attainable.

On offense, South Alabama transfer Fluff Bothwell has provided a spark at running back, while another pair of transfers in Brenen Thompson (Oklahoma) and Anthony Evans III (Georgia) have been big-play threats at wideout.

But it’s the defense that has taken the biggest step forward, as it has allowed almost half the amount of points per game it did during last season’s 2-10 campaign. The Bulldogs were able to fluster Sam Leavitt and Joey Aguilar, two high-level quarterbacks who combined to go 34-of-63 with just two touchdowns and four interceptions against them.

Oklahoma (5-0)

The John Mateer-less Sooners weren’t tested very much against Kent State in a 44-0 blowout of the Golden Flashes. But even if OU is without Mateer for the Red River game against Texas this weekend, the Sooners have been booming in large part due to their defense.

Like last season, the unit has been elite: Its 21 sacks are tied for the second-most in the FBS, and its 36 total points allowed rank only behind Ohio State for the fewest in the nation.

The difference this time around is that the Sooner offense looks competent, which wasn’t the case for much of last season. Mateer’s aggressive and sometimes chaotic play style has translated well from Washington State, as his 303.8 passing yards per game lead the SEC.

Arkansas (2-3)

Woof, pig. The vibes in Fayetteville are horrendous, and consecutive late-game catastrophes against Ole Miss and Memphis weren’t even the worst part.

Following a 43-point loss to Notre Dame, with a starting quarterback who is the grandson of a legendary Michigan coach, Arkansas fired coach Sam Pittman and named offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino its interim head coach. That is a real, factually correct sentence that would’ve crashed Facebook and maybe even some motorcycles in 2012.

The offense held up its end of the bargain in terms of scoring, averaging 43.5 points per game over its first four contests. Then Notre Dame came to town and held the Razorbacks to 13 points while handing them their worst home loss since 2020.

That wasn’t the most soul-crushing part, as the Razorback defense allowed 56 points and 641 yards of offense. The unit has made Swiss cheese look like sharp cheddar, as they’ve allowed 129 points over their last three games. They’ve put immense pressure on the offense to score in bunches, and when that didn’t happen against the Irish, a blowout of epic proportions ensued.

Quarterback Taylen Green has been electric, as he’s tallied 1,839 total yards and 14.3 yards per completion. But he’s put the ball in harm’s way a lot, as he’s thrown five interceptions and made nine turnover-worthy plays according to Pro Football Focus.

Unless something drastic changes, the defense will continue resembling those of the Chad Morris era (those last three words might be redacted within Arkansas state lines). If so, Green & Co. will have to keep putting up gaudy numbers to keep the Razorbacks in games.

Copyright 2025 Columbia Missourian

This story was originally published October 9, 2025 at 11:23 AM.