Missouri Football Ranked No. 11 in USA Today Coaches Poll

With the college football season just over three weeks away, rankings are beginning to roll in, starting with the USA Today Coaches Poll. This weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I FBS programs has been a staple since the 1950s, with slight adaptations over time. On Monday, the preseason Coaches Poll for 2024 was released.

Coming off their 14-3 Cotton Bowl victory over Ohio State, the Missouri Tigers are ranked number 11 in the opening poll. Preseason rankings are always controversial since it's hard to predict team performance, but this seems like a fair placement. After an impressive year, the Tigers will need to prove their worth once again this season.

Missouri is one of nine SEC teams making appearances in the initial top 25 rankings and one of six that cracked the top 12. The revamped SEC is loaded with talent and should be exciting to follow this coming fall.

Which Ranked Opponents Will Missouri Face in 2024?

Missouri's relatively light SEC schedule has been frequently mentioned this off-season, and with the rankings now available, it has become more apparent to the public. The Tigers toughest game of the season will be an away match against No. 5 Alabama on October 26th. Aside from that contest, they will face only two other top 25 opponents, neither of which are in the top 10.

When Missouri travels to College Station on October 5th, it'll be their first "real" test of the season. Playing at Kyle Field is never an easy task, and with Texas A&M ranked No. 20 in the initial rankings, the Aggies will be looking to make an early statement. They'll have a new head coach, and much of the roster has changed through portal additions and recruitment victories. This star-studded matchup will give us an early look at what Missouri is made of this season.

The only other top 25 battle for Missouri comes when they host No. 16 Oklahoma on November 9th. This game will renew a rivalry that spans over a hundred years. The Sooners have added a ton of talent and will be looking to prove their worth in a new conference this year. Missouri will aim to welcome an old foe to their new conference with a strong performance.

With the Coaches Poll released, the next ranking to come out will be the Associated Press (AP) poll. The AP poll is what's shown on scoreboards around the nation and is the most important ranking until the College Football Playoff releases theirs midway through the season. We can expect a new ranking next to Missouri's name on Monday, August 12th. It will be extremely interesting to see how differently or similarly the AP views Mizzou ahead of the 2024 season.