Missouri has an identity crisis. The Tigers hired an offensive-minded head coach in 2020, and since then, the defense has been amazing. However, the Tiger offense hasn’t ever gotten off the ground, and the pressure is on Eliah Drinkwitz. In our Missouri Season Predictions, we look at every game the Tigers will play in 2023.
Missouri Season Predictions: Predicting the Game-by-Game Results
Using groupthink, College Football Network analysts have painstakingly gone through every game for every team in the SEC and across the country.
Picking these games straight up with a projected score using the rosters as up-to-date as the last spring practice, the Missouri season predictions indicate what fans can possibly expect for the Tigers in 2023.
Week 1 — Missouri vs. South Dakota: Win, 35-13 (1-0)
All of our experts have the Tigers winning this one easily. In terms of the Dakota schools, South Dakota is one of the easier ones to play. As a middle-of-the-pack FCS team, the Coyotes should not pose much of a threat to the Tigers. We won’t know much after this game about whether the offense is improved now that Drinkwitz has hired a full-time offensive coordinator, but they should get off to a strong start.
Week 2 — Missouri vs. Middle Tennessee State: Win, 26-21 (2-0)
As part of Missouri’s difficult non-conference schedule, the Blue Raiders are no easy out. Rick Stockstill’s squad has already shown an ability to upset Power Five teams with a win over Miami last season. The Blue Raiders like to spread it out on offense, and Missouri’s disciplined defense will be a strength here. We think it’ll be close, but the Tiger offense should have just enough to outlast a pesky Middle Tennessee State squad.
Week 3 — Missouri vs. Kansas State: Loss, 18-24 (2-1)
After surviving against Middle Tennessee State, all of our analysts believe the Tigers’ luck will run out against Kansas State. Despite losing a few playmakers on offense, the Wildcats remain potent on that side of the ball.
The defense should be much improved this season, and I don’t trust the Missouri offense to put up enough points to keep this one close. I lean a little bit more towards a blowout here than my colleagues, but it’s just part of the Tigers’ difficult non-conference schedule.
Week 4 — Missouri vs. Memphis (Neutral site): Win, 25-20 (3-1)
Memphis is a bit of a wild card, as the Tigers have revamped both their offense and defense. They have been in a bit of a downswing since Mike Norvell’s departure, and we don’t see that changing much in 2023.
However, in a single game at a neutral site, anything can happen. Once again, we’re going to trust Missouri’s defense in this one and put the Tigers at 3-1 entering conference play.
Week 5 — Missouri @ Vanderbilt: Loss, 21-22 (3-2, 0-1 SEC)
This is where a handful of our analysts have the wheels falling off.
Last year, the Tigers outlasted Vanderbilt in one of the highest-scoring games in their rivalry. However, the Vanderbilt defense is much improved in 2023, and our experts all believe this will be a low-scoring game.
Personally, I think the Tigers pull this one out, but the consensus disagrees, giving this one to the Commodores in a close, low-scoring game.
Week 6 — Missouri vs. LSU: Loss, 18-37 (3-3, 0-2 SEC)
The Tigers residing in Baton Rouge should have one of the top offenses in the league this season. That poses an issue for Missouri, who wants to win most games in a low-scoring, back-and-forth affair.
Jayden Daniels is too talented, and he should be able to air it out successfully. The key for Missouri here is to be able to rush the passer; if the Tigers can get pressure on Daniels, they have a chance of slowing down LSU’s high-powered offense.
Week 7 — Missouri @ Kentucky: Loss, 21-28 (3-4, 0-3 SEC)
One of the biggest issues with Missouri’s schedule this season is that a lot of their toss-up games come on the road. Despite what has become the prevailing thought, it’s difficult to win in Lexington, Kentucky. The Wildcats have reloaded at quarterback with NC State transfer Devin Leary, and the offense should be much improved.
If there’s a weakness on Kentucky’s team, it’s the offensive line, which has some promise but will really need to improve from last season. If the Tigers can get after Leary, they’ll have a strong chance to win this game.
Week 8 — Missouri @ South Carolina: Loss, 19-25 (3-5, 0-4 SEC)
Despite struggling overall in the past few seasons, Missouri has thoroughly dominated South Carolina. However, our analysts all believe that will change this season. Under Shane Beamer, the Gamecocks have exercised a demon or two each season by defeating teams that they have recently struggled against. This very well may be the season that South Carolina finally gets Missouri.
The only thing that is for sure in this rivalry is that it will be a strange game. In fact, some of the weirdest games these fanbases have ever witnessed have been Missouri-South Carolina games.
Week 10 — Missouri @ Georgia: Loss, 11-33 (3-6, 0-5 SEC)
It’s highly unlikely that Georgia loses at home this season, and if it happens, it is even more unlikely that it’s the Tigers who do it. Top to bottom, the Bulldogs are just too strong.
One could even argue that the quarterback play will take another step forward under Carson Beck this season, and the Bulldog defense is as talented as ever.
Week 11 — Missouri vs. Tennessee: Loss, 17-33 (3-7, 0-6 SEC)
After leaving Athens, the schedule gets no easier. Missouri welcomes a potent Tennessee offense to town, and we’ll have to match up with Josh Heupel’s spread offense. Here, I’m just not sure Missouri has the athletes on the outside to keep up with Tennessee’s high-flying offense. The Volunteer defense should be improved as well on what we think is a strong Tennessee team.
Week 12 — Missouri vs. Florida: Loss, 20-21 (3-8, 0-7 SEC)
The Gators present the most likely win on the back end of the schedule. The Tigers could win this one in a sloppy, low-scoring game, but our analysts were split here. The Gators’ quarterback situation is a mess, but if Brady Cook isn’t much better, it could be a long season for the Tigers.
Week 13 — Missouri @ Arkansas: Loss, 19-31 (3-9, 0-8 SEC)
Apologies to Missouri fans, but our analysts are just not very high on the Tigers this season. While we were split on some affairs, no analyst had the Tigers record better than 5-7 while more than one had it as low as 3-9.
KJ Jefferson is a talented quarterback with his legs and has one of the strongest arms in the conference as well. Especially since this is on the road, winning will be a tall task.
