Early Look at the 2016 Football Schedule

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Oct. 15 at Florida

Since joining the SEC, this series has been a bit peculiar. During the first season the Tigers played in the SEC they went down to the Swamp and played against a team that finished 11-1 and only lost 14-7. The Tigers could have won that game, but interceptions in the end zone doomed them. The next year the series shifted to Columbia and the Tigers rolled 36-17. The Gators made the Tigers their homecoming game the next year and Missouri rolled to a 42-13 win. The Tigers made Florida their homecoming in 2015 and got beat 21-3. They should call this the Bad Homecoming Selection Rivalry. After splitting the first four meetings as conference opponents, the Tigers hold a 3-2 edge in the series all-time due to a 20-18 win the 1966 Sugar Bowl. While the Tigers have played well in the Swamp, they are going to have to get more out of Drew Lock and the offense in order to keep up with Jim McElwain and the Gators. Considering how unpredictable this series has been, this one is a must see.

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Oct. 22 Middle Tenn

After a tough game in The Swamp, the Tigers get another non-conference game at home against the Blue Raiders. These teams met in Columbia in 2003, the only meeting between the two teams. The Tigers won 41-40 in overtime as Brad Smith kept the Tigers undefeated at that point in the season with a fourth straight win to open the season. This will not be an easy win though, MTSU has been a solid team most years under Rick Stockstill, who is going into his 11th year at the school. But this is a game the Tigers will need to win, and not get caught looking ahead to next week’s game, another crucial game they will need.

Oct. 29 Kentucky

These two have met six times, and each side has won three. Dan Devine went 0-2 against the Wildcats in the 1960’s while Gary Pinkel won three straight after joining the SEC before losing in Lexington last season. Both of these teams finished 5-7 last year and will be looking to get back to a bowl game. While the Tigers missed last season for the first time in three years, the Wildcats have not made a bowl game since the 2010 season. The Wildcats have been close each of the last two seasons–in 2014 they started 5-1 before losing their last six and last season started 4-2 and lost five of six to close the season, including a 30-27 loss to Auburn and 21-17 loss at Vanderbilt, each of which could have given them a sixth win. The Tigers are 2-1 against the Wildcats in Columbia, losing the first 7-0 in 1965 but winning each of the last two. This game is a must see, as it could go a long way to determining Missouri’s bowl eligibility.

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Nov. 5 at South Carolina

These two teams met for the first time in 1979 in Birmingham, Alabama and the Tigers won 24-14. They didn’t meet again until 2005 in the Independence Bowl and the Tigers won again 38-31. They met for the first time as conference opponents in 2012 and the Gamecocks won 31-10 as they dominated during the first meeting played at either team’s home stadium. The next year the Gamecocks handed the Tigers their only regular season loss as they came back from down 17-0 to spoil the Tigers homecoming behind a gutsy performance by Connor Shaw. The next year Maty Mauk led the Tigers on a comeback to win 21-20 in Columbia and then this past year Drew Lock led the Tigers to a 24-10 win to take a 4-2 lead in the Battle of Columbia. This game will pit two first year coaches in Odom and Will Muschamp, who takes over full time following the departure of the Ol’ Ball Coach. Even on the road, this is a winnable game for the Tigers and one they will need if they are to make a bowl game. The Battle of Columbia is a must see.

Nov. 12 Vanderbilt

Most Tiger fans think of Vanderbilt as an easy win every year. Well, of the two meetings they’ve had since joining the SEC, the Commodores have proven that notion wrong. Derek Mason is building the program back to where it was when James Franklin left for Penn State. These two have met eight times, with the Tigers holding a 4-3-1 edge. The Tigers won the first two meetings–all the way back in 1895 and 1896. In 1957 the two played to a 7-7 tie, then Vanderbilt won the next two meetings in 1958 and 2012. Missouri won the next two 51-28 and 24-14 before Vanderbilt won last year 10-3 in a game that set offensive football back about 50 years.While this is a game the Tigers should win, if Mason continues to improve the program the Commodores could get another win in Columbia.

Nov. 19 at Tennessee

These two teams had not met until Missouri joined the SEC. The Tigers took the first three meetings, including a 51-48 thriller in Knoxville in the first meeting between the two. Finally the Volunteers broke through and won 19-8 last year in Columbia in what was Gary Pinkel’s last home game. Tennessee comes into 2016 with very high expectations, led by quarterback Josh Dobbs and improving talent in almost every area. Last year the Vols were 8-4, but better than their record suggests. They could not hold 17-0 and 24-17 leads against Oklahoma, a 27-14 fourth quarter lead at Florida, a 14-0 lead against Arkansas and at Alabama they had a 14-13 lead with under six minutes to play but could not finish the Tide. Butch Jones has made the team better every year and they could be a top 10 team this year. This will be a hard game for the Tigers.

Nov. 26 Arkansas

In the third installment of the Battle Line Rivalry, the Razorbacks will try to even the series with the Tigers. Missouri holds a 4-3 edge on their rivals to the south, with the first meeting coming in 1906. Missouri won 11-0 that day, but Arkansas evened the series with a 7-6 win in St. Louis in 1944. The Tigers won by that score in Little Rock in 1963, then they met twice in bowl games. In the 2003 Independence Bowl the Hogs won 27-14 followed by a 38-7 romp by the Tigers in the 2008 Cotton Bowl. The Tigers won the first SEC meeting between the two 21-14 in Columbia in 2014 while Arkansas won 28-3 last season in Fayetteville. Even as the series shifts back to Columbia this season, this will be hard game for Missouri, and it could determine if the Tigers go to a bowl or not. Hopefully it will not be a game that determines the postseason fate of the Tigers. Regardless, this is a must see against a bitter rival.

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