Oklahoma and Missouri meet for the 98th time in football on Saturday as the No. 22 Tigers come to Norman for the first time since 2011, a place where they have not won since 1966.
The Sooners (8-2, 4-2), who climbed to No. 8 this week in the third installment of the College Football Playoff rankings after a win last weekend over then-No. 4 Alabama, own the all-time series against former Big 12 foe Missouri with a 67-25-5 record, including wins in eight of the last 10 and 32 of the last 37.
Previewing Oklahoma-Missouri
With two games remaining in the 2025 regular season, Oklahoma finds itself in good position to earn a playoff spot with wins at home over Mizzou and LSU in the final two games. The Tigers (7-3, 3-3) are having another strong season under sixth-year head coach Eli Drinkwitz and come to Norman as one of the country's most balanced teams with top-25 rankings on both offense and defense.
The Tigers rebounded from a 38-17 loss to Texas A&M the week before last by defeating Mississippi State 49-27 last weekend behind a phenomenal 300-yard rushing performance by sophomore running back Ahmad Hardy.
Saturday's game will kick off at 11 a.m. CT and be televised on ABC. The same broadcast crew that worked the OU-Alabama game last week will announce Saturday's game (Sean McDonough on play-by-play, Greg McElroy with analysis and Molly McGrath with sideline reports).
What to know about Missouri
- Missouri comes into the Oklahoma game ranked 21st in the nation in total offense (450.4 yards per game), and 1st in the SEC and 10th nationally in total defense (277.5 yards allowed).
- Ahmad Hardy leads the FBS in rushing yards through 10 games and a Missouri offense that averages 34.9 points and 241.7 rushing yards per game. Hardy has 1,346 rushing yards through 10 games, plus 15 touchdowns. He's averaging 6.8 yards per carry and a remarkable 932 rushing yards after contact. And Hardy is just one half of the two-headed monster that the Tigers have at running back. Jamal Roberts has 583 rushing yards and averages 6.3 yards per carry.
- One of the big question marks for Missouri in preparation for this game is who will start at quarterback. Freshman backup Matt Zollers has started the past two games after starter Beau Pribula suffered an ankle injury in the Tigers' Oct. 25 loss to Vanderbilt. There have been reports this week that Pribula could be available to play on Saturday.
- Third-down stops are going to be a key factor for both defensive units in this game, and Missouri is one of the best teams in the country converting on third down and keeping drives alive. The Tigers rank 12th nationally with a 49.3% success rate.
What to know about Oklahoma
- Oklahoma continues to ride the back of its outstanding defense, but it has to get more contribution from quarterback John Mateer and the offense to win the next two games and get to 10 wins, which will likely win the Crimson and Cream a spot in the College Football Playoff. The one-time national leader in offense this season ranks 87th out of 134 FBS teams, averaging 28.3 points and 367.5 yards per game. The Sooners have struggled to run the ball this season, and Mateer hasn't been as effective or accurate since breaking his thumb against Auburn. His passing numbers in the wins over Tennessee and Alabama were a season-low 148.5 yards per game.
- The Sooners lead the country in tackles for loss, averaging 10.2 per game, and rank second nationally in defensive sacks with 37, an average of 3.70 per game. In contrast, Missouri is one of the worst in the country (91st nationally) in protecting the quarterback, allowing 2.2 sacks per game. This is a double-edged sword, though, because Oklahoma also allows 2.2 sacks per game.
- In a defensive game, like what is expected with Missouri on Saturday, field goals can be a premium. And Oklahoma is blessed to have one of the best kickers in the nation in redshirt junior Tate Sandell, who is in his first season at OU. He is 21-of-22 in field-goal tries this season, including 21 in a row, and is a perfect 7-for-7 on tries of 50 or more yards. That leads the nation from that distance.
- Oklahoma owns a 43-3 record in home games in November dating back to the start of the 2000 season. That .923 winning percentage ranks No. 1 in the nation over that period.
Key matchup
Oklahoma ranks fourth nationally in rush defense, allowing just 82.2 rushing yards per game. Six times this season, the Sooner defense has held opponents to 80 or fewer rushing yards per game. On Saturday, that beastly OU defensive front is going to get its biggest test of the season, going toe to toe against Ahmad Hardy and college football's sixth-best rushing offense.
Prediction
Forget the overall record in this longtime series that Missouri likes to call a rivalry. This Missouri team is very good, one of the best in the SEC on both sides of the ball. As in the Sooners' past two games, ball security and winning the turnover battle could well be the key to which team comes out the victor.
It should be a low-scoring contest given the high-quality of the defenses on both sides. However, OU's defense is more battle tested and will again prove to be the difference in this game. And the game is in Norman, which is always going to be advantage Oklahoma.
Oklahoma 27, Missouri 20