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Here are the top-10 opening games for Mizzou football

By Thomas Huitt-Johnson

COLUMBIA, MO - SEPTEMBER 01: Defensive back Andrew Horton-Martindale #21 of the Tennessee Martin Skyhawks breaks up a pass intended for tight end Albert Okwuegbunam #81 of the Missouri Tigers during the game at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, MO - SEPTEMBER 01: Defensive back Andrew Horton-Martindale #21 of the Tennessee Martin Skyhawks breaks up a pass intended for tight end Albert Okwuegbunam #81 of the Missouri Tigers during the game at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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No. 7 — 1969

No. 11 Missouri 19, Air Force 17

A top-25 Missouri team held off a better-than realized Air Force squad in Week 1. It set the tone for the season, as two weeks later Missouri would thump No. 13 Michigan and make its way all the way up to a top-5 team.

Air Force was ranked as high as No. 19 during that season. Missouri ended the year with a loss in the Orange Bowl to No. 2Penn State.

Henry Brown kicked a 33-yard game-winning field goal in the final seconds as Missouri trailed the Falcons 17-16 to give Mizzou a two-point win.

No. 6 — 2008

No. 6 Missouri 52, No. 20 Illinois 42

High hopes for a Mizzou squad coming off a year where it reached No. 1 began in St. Louis as the Tigers met up with the Illini. Same for the Illinois team on the opposite side of the field.

No. 6 Missouri beat No. 20 Illinois by 10 points. Jeremy Maclin’s 99-yard kickoff return and Sean Weatherspoon’s 35-yard interception return were highlights for the future first-round picks.

Neither team’s season ended the way they had hoped when the year starter, but it sure was a great opening game for the Tigers.

No. 5 — 1976

Missouri 46, No. 8 USC 25

This came during a time where Missouri had a thing about beating top-10 teams.

Missouri crushed the eventual national champion Trojans, and moved all the way up from unranked to No. 6 the following week. They stayed ranked for most of the season, thanks to a Week 3 win over No. 2 Ohio State.

Week 1 was the only loss for USC, as it finished 11-1 and beat No. 2 Michigan in the Orange Bowl.

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