After Indiana took home their first National Championship on Monday, oddsmakers began to put out their odds for 2026's champion. And while Mizzou has seen some serious turnover, they've been very active in the transfer portal, and Vegas in buying into the hype.
The current odds set by FanDuel have Missouri at +8000, good for the 20th best odds in the country. They fall one slot below Auburn and are tied with Florida.
Vegas is liking what they see from Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers
It's no surprise that Missouri isn't in the top-ten teams vying for a national championship, but No. 20 should gives fans some confidence after losing so much talent to the transfer portal and eligibility.
The Tigers lost elite players like Keagen Trost, Zion Young, Damon Wilson II, Josiah Trotter and more and have been very active in the portal to try and rebuild. The Tigers have brought in 26 transfers so far, and could potentially even add more if Ole Miss receiver Cayden Lee signs. Their transfer class currently ranks No. 23 in the country according to 247 Sports.
A lot of 2026's success will ride on the shoulders of Ole Miss transfer Austin Simmons, who is raw yet talented quarterback with a rocket arm. His injury history and inexperience bring up some questions, but there's no doubt Missouri could be a playoff team if he's at his best.
After finishing 8-5, including a loss in the Gator Bowl, Mizzou is in big need of a bounce back season. They'll return star running back Ahmad Hardy and added quarterback Austin Simmons and it looks like Vegas likes what they see. Are we expecting Missouri to run the tables and secure a championship? Probably not. But a top-25 ranking and good bowl game should certainly be in the cards and it seems as though oddsmakers are on board.