Missouri hasn't beaten Georgia since 2013, and the Bulldogs haven't lost at Sanford Stadium under Kirby Smart against anybody wearing black and gold. The Tigers get another shot at the streak on the road, months before the SEC race even sorts itself out.
Bush’s Picks
MIZUGA
MIZUGA
OverUnder
Best BetGeorgia
Georgia's defense returns 8 starters and Kirby Smart is 6-0 against Missouri as a head coach — that's a heavy track record to bet against, even with the Bulldogs' margins tightening. Missouri's new quarterback and coordinator pairing is a legitimate unknown, and unknowns on the road at Sanford Stadium tend not to work out. Back Georgia to win outright here.
Missouri
+New OC Chip Lindsey, transfer QB Austin Simmons
+Modernized passing scheme could unlock the offense
−Lost much of last year's defensive production
−Winless in 8 straight meetings with Georgia
Georgia
+Top-5 team, 8 defensive starters return
+56-5 at Sanford Stadium under Kirby Smart
−Offense ranks 124th of 138 in explosiveness
−Played six one-score games a year ago
Missouri walks into this one with a brand-new offensive identity. Eli Drinkwitz handed the keys to Austin Simmons, a transfer from Ole Miss, and brought in Chip Lindsey as offensive coordinator to modernize a passing game that's lagged behind the Tigers' rushing attack. On the other side, Gunner Stockton is back for a second full season as Georgia's starter after a solid 2025 debut, working behind an offensive line anchored by tackle TyQuez Richardson.
The bigger question for Missouri might be what's left on defense. The Tigers lost much of last year's defensive production and several veteran leaders, and they'll need new pieces to step up fast against an SEC schedule that doesn't ease up. Georgia, meanwhile, returns 8 starters on a defense that's still elite, even if it's ranked closer to 8th or 9th nationally these days instead of the top-2 units Kirby Smart used to trot out.
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MIZ Missouri
UGA Georgia
That gap closing a bit is the real story of this series. Georgia played six one-score games last season and went just 4-2 in them, a dip from the invincibility the Bulldogs showed during their national title run. It doesn't change who's favored here, but it's why this matchup reads differently than it would have 3 years ago.
History still weighs heavily on Missouri's side of the ledger. The Tigers have won exactly once against Georgia since joining the SEC in 2012, and Kirby Smart is 6-0 against Mizzou as head coach, with Georgia posting a 56-5 record at Sanford Stadium during his tenure. Nate Frazier gives Georgia's offense a real ground-game backbone after topping 900 yards a year ago at 5.5 yards a carry, and that kind of physical running game is exactly the sort of thing that's worn Missouri down in years past.
Missouri Tigers
Nov 6?vs Texas—
Oct 30?@ Arkansas—
Oct 16?@ Ole Miss—
Oct 9?vs Texas A&M—
Oct 2?vs Florida—
Sep 25?@ Mississippi State—
Sep 19?vs Troy—
Sep 11?@ Kansas—
Sep 3?vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff—
Georgia Bulldogs
Nov 6?@ Ole Miss—
Oct 31?vs Florida—
Oct 16?vs Auburn—
Oct 9?@ Alabama—
Oct 2?vs Vanderbilt—
Sep 25?vs Oklahoma—
Sep 19?@ Arkansas—
Sep 12?vs Western Kentucky—
Sep 5?vs Tennessee State—
Recent form.
Where Georgia is more beatable is through the air and in the red zone. The Bulldogs' offense ranked just 14th nationally last season but sat 124th out of 138 teams in explosiveness, a byproduct of Mike Bobo's conservative play-calling and Stockton's short-passing tendencies. Georgia's defense also ranked a modest 73rd in points allowed per scoring opportunity, meaning if Missouri's offense can find its footing in the red zone, there's a path to keeping this closer than the recent history suggests.
Missouri Tigers
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Georgia Bulldogs
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
This one lands on a Friday night in mid-November, which usually means one team is playing with the playoff picture in mind. Georgia enters as the team with the resume to protect; Missouri is the one trying to prove its offensive overhaul was worth the transition. Neither storyline changes between now and kickoff, but both will be a lot clearer once the season actually gets underway.
