The 2025 college football season is right around the corner, and with it comes sky-high expectations in Columbia. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz isn’t just aiming for improvement—he’s aiming for history. Now entering his sixth season, Drinkwitz has transformed Missouri from a middle-of-the-pack SEC program into a legitimate contender. His Tigers have won 10 games in back-to-back years, and this year they have the chance to do something no Mizzou team has ever done: win double-digit games in three straight seasons.
Photo Cred: Mizzou
It’s a goal that once seemed far-fetched, but now feels very real. The schedule is favorable, with eight home games and a slate that avoids SEC juggernauts Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas. Missouri will also face five of last year’s bottom-six SEC teams and won’t hit the road until mid-October—plenty of time to settle in, build momentum, and let home-field advantage work its magic. One of the most highly anticipated moments comes almost immediately.
In Week 2, Missouri hosts the Kansas Jayhawks in the return of the Border War—a rivalry that hasn’t been played since 2011, when Mizzou left the Big 12 for the SEC. The rosters may be filled with new faces, but the animosity is as real as ever. Both programs enter the year as potential sleepers in their conferences, and the stakes for this early-season clash couldn’t be higher. A win would be a statement and a springboard toward a special season. A loss? It could plant seeds of doubt before the grind of SEC play begins.
Photo Cred: Yahoo Sports
The path through the SEC in 2025 looks more open than it has in years. There’s no clear, dominant superpower—no Alabama or Georgia juggernaut towering above the rest. Instead, the conference is stacked with elite talent but led by several unproven quarterbacks. For Missouri, that’s an opening. If they can reach 10 wins again, they’ll likely be in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game, standing shoulder to shoulder with the sport’s biggest brands. Winning the SEC is one of the hardest feats in college football, but this could be the rare season when the door is cracked open.
And then there’s the ultimate dream: the College Football Playoff. Whether it’s by winning the SEC and securing a first-round bye or by sneaking in as an at-large team, the possibility is there. Eleven wins would all but guarantee a ticket to the postseason’s biggest stage, while 10 could still keep them in the conversation—especially if those wins include signature victories. The formula is straightforward but far from easy: take care of business against Kansas, battle toe-to-toe with South Carolina, Alabama, and Texas A&M, and avoid costly stumbles against Auburn, Oklahoma, and Vanderbilt.
Drinkwitz knows exactly what’s on the line. Opportunities like this don’t come around often. The chance to not only make history but to permanently raise the profile of Missouri football is sitting in front of him. He’s built the culture, assembled the roster, and positioned his program for a run that could redefine its place in the sport. Now, it all comes down to 12 Saturdays in the South. If the Tigers seize the moment, 2025 might just be remembered as the year Missouri didn’t just compete with the SEC’s best—they joined them.
