It’s been four years of frustration and at-or-below .500 records for the Missouri Tigers football team, which has gone 23-25 since the start of 2019.
In Year Four of the Eli Drinkwitz era, the Tigers are looking to break through after going 5-5, 6-7 and 6-7 in the former App State coach’s first three years.
The Tigers will look to get off to a good start on the field when they face FCS program South Dakota in Columbia on Sept. 2, before hosting Middle Tennessee State and Kansas State and playing Memphis in St. Louis to close out the non-conference slate.
Fans in the state interested in wagering on those games will have to go to Illinois or Kansas because there is no legal Missouri sports betting.
It seems national sportsbook operators aren’t flying high on the Tigers’ chances, with Caesars Sportsbook giving Mizzou +20000 SEC odds, ranking in a tie for 12th with Kentucky and ahead of lowly Vanderbilt, which is listed at +75000.
With Missouri’s spring football game in the rearview mirror, BetMissouri.com, your home for the latest information on Missouri sports betting apps when they become legal, took a look at the Tigers’ footing as they enter the 2023 season.
Mizzou Rankings
- Recruiting Rank (247 Sports): 35th nationally (13th in SEC)
- SEC Odds (Caesars Sportsbook): +20000 (T-12th)
- National Title Odds (BetMGM Sportsbook): +25000
Where The Tigers Stand Entering 2023
It seems Missouri is stuck in neutral when it comes to the program’s trajectory under Drinkwitz, with consecutive 6-7 campaigns bogging down any momentum in Columbia.
With an eight-game SEC slate in which the Tigers play LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida at home and Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Georgia and Arkansas on the road, there’s virtually zero room for error if Mizzou is going to win more than eight games for the first time since 2014.
With last year’s leading passer, Brady Cook, undergoing shoulder surgery and limited during the Tigers’ spring practices, there’s some reason to wonder how good Mizzou can be with such a daunting schedule.
If Cook can match his performance from a year ago, when he threw for 2,739 yards and 14 touchdowns to seven interceptions, then the Tigers should have a shot to win six or more games once again.
If the rising junior isn’t able to play at a high level, then Drinkwitz likely will have to turn to an inexperienced quarterback or try to find another option in the NCAA transfer portal before fall practice kicks off in a few months.
One way or another, the Tigers will need to put together a strong showing out of the gate against its first three opponents at Faurot Field in order to weather what should be an eight-game gauntlet in SEC play.
If Mizzou manages to hold off Kansas State in the 2023 Border Showdown, then the Tigers would have a solid shot at being 4-0 when they head to Nashville to play Vanderbilt in their SEC opener.
When sports betting becomes legal in the state, BetMissouri.com will provide Missouri sports betting promos to new customers.
Missouri Schedule
- Sept. 2: South Dakota
- Sept. 9: Middle Tennessee
- Sept. 16: Kansas State
- Sept: 23: vs. Memphis, St. Louis
- Sept. 30: at Vanderbilt
- Oct. 7: LSU
- Oct. 14: at Kentucky
- Oct. 21: South Carolina
- Nov. 4: at Georgia
- Nov. 11: Tennessee
- Nov. 18: Florida
- Nov. 25: at Arkansas
