As good as Mizzou football has been this season, their schedule hasn't provided them with a true test quite yet. Central Arkansas, Louisiana, and Kansas all combined for just 12 victories last season.
South Carolina started this season in the same way they ended the 2024-25 campaign; with some big wins to up their ranking. The Gamecocks sat at the No. 11 overall ranked team this past weekend, before they were blown out by then-unranked Vanderbilt.
That proves how important it is for the Tigers to not overlook any opponent, especially in a season where they haven't had that season-defining dominant win over a competitive team yet, much like South Carolina.
Despite the loss, and the Gamecocks drop out of the Top-25, the NCAA still decided to flex the SEC Conference matchup to a night kickoff, which head coach Eliah Drinkwitz admitted was a rarity for the Tigers to see.
He pinpointed just three home SEC contests since 2021 for the Tigers. However, all of those games were instant-classics.
First, in 2022 Georgia defeated Mizzou 26-22 in a season where the Bulldogs would win it all in a 65-7 blowout versus TCU. At the time, the Tigers weren't super competitive, going on to finish the year 6-7, but they did lead this one by 13 at one point.
The next was in 2023 when quarterback Brady Cook downed Florida in a 33-31 thriller. Mizzou drove the ball down the field with around a minute to go, converted on a 4th-down, and hit a 30-yard field goal for the victory. A career drive for Cook that helped to continue what was an incredible season for Tiger football.
Most recently, Mizzou beat Oklahoma in a close one, just last November. That one is very well-remembered, as the Tigers won off a scoop-and-score with just over 20 seconds to go in the game. Cook was injured but back-up Drew Pyne secured the victory, with multiple scores in the final minutes of the game.
Looking at those games, it makes no sense why there wasn't a late kickoff game sooner, and why there hasn't been more planned. With or without South Carolina's most recent loss, they are a serious threat against the Tigers, and set up for what looks to be an incredible game.
It was recently announced that Mizzou will have their homecoming contest versus UMass as another 6:30 kickoff, though not an SEC opponent, still makes for another fun night game.
Future home SEC-opponents for this season are Texas A&M and Mississippi State, so if this one goes well, fans could be in for much more of the same for the remainder of the season.
It's important to note that the Tigers have a blackout theme going at Farout Field this weekend, further adding to the vibes, and the social media teams have had a field day with it.
Saturday. Wear black. #MIZ | #STP pic.twitter.com/ujeXEZpAN1
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) September 17, 2025
No matter the time, the messsage is the same for Mizzou: win. However, it never hurts to put a game in the 'prime-time' slot, and the Tigers players and coaches cannot wait to show off to a bigger audience this weekend.