Mizzou was noticeably absent from the AP Top 25 college football preseason rankings released Monday.
Mizzou Snubbed in AP Top 25 College Football Preseason Rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Eli Drinkwitz and the Missouri Tigers football program enter this fall on the heels of back-to-back 10-plus win seasons. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to convince voters they belong among the top teams in the nation.
Mizzou was noticeably absent from the AP Top 25 college football preseason rankings released Monday.
Texas is No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 for the first time, just ahead of No. 2 Penn State.
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 11, 2025
See where other top teams rank. https://t.co/qXJ5AkXKho
Led by No. 1 Texas, the SEC had four teams in the top ten for the second straight year - No. 5 Georgia, No. 8 Alabama and No. 9 LSU. South Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Tennessee were also ranked. Overall, the SEC placed a record 10 teams in the preseason Top 25.
Missouri received 33 votes, 158 behind No. 25 Boise State. Last season, the Tigers were ranked 11th in both the preseason AP and Coaches polls.
This year's snub is likely due to several key contributors missing from last year's 10-3 squad.
Starting quarterback Brady Cook, leading running backs Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll, and receivers Theo Wease Jr. and Luther Burden III accounted for a huge chunk of Missouri's offense in 2024.
To replace them, Drinkwitz is welcoming in one of the country's top transfer portal classes. Highlighted by former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula and shifty Louisiana-Monroe tailback Ahmad Hardy, Missouri ranked seventh in 247Sports' 2025 Transfer Team Rankings.
Mizzou also has a favorable schedule this fall. The Tigers open with six straight home games before their first road tilt on Saturday, October 18 at Auburn. Among the four ranked teams Mizzou plays this season, only No. 18 Oklahoma is on the road.
Related: Mizzou Fans Delighted After EA Sports College Football '26 Decision
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports
