Tigers Open As Favorites Vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Missouri's 2026 season begins at home against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, with the Tigers priced as favorites and a leg injury clouding the status of running back A. Hardy.
Recent News
Missouri's most notable injury note ahead of kickoff involves running back A. Hardy, who is dealing with a leg injury, according to Covers' aggregated injury tracker. Hardy carries a Questionable tag, which is a real doubt rather than a ruled-out — the report notes it has yet to be determined whether he suits up against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday, September 3rd. Nothing here is attributed to a beat writer or the program itself; it's a compiled read on his status, reported last week.
On the other side of the ball, Missouri's September 11 opponent made news of its own this week. Kansas named Isaiah Marshall its starting quarterback over Cole Ballard, a decision that will be in place by the time the Tigers travel to Lawrence.
Upcoming
Missouri opens its season Thursday night vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Memorial Stadium, and the market has the Tigers as favorites in the opener. The total is being read as high-scoring, a number that lines up with Arkansas-Pine Bluff's last season, when it lost 13-44 at Alabama. This is the first look at Missouri since last season closed with a 7-13 loss to Virginia on December 28th, so Thursday functions as a true reset rather than a continuation of anything from a year ago.
A week and a half later, Missouri heads to Lawrence to face Kansas, another game in which the Tigers are priced as favorites, though that market read is closer to middling on the scoring side. Kansas enters at 0-0 as well, with its own opener still to come and a new starting quarterback now in place. Between the two games, it's the Arkansas-Pine Bluff matchup that sets the tone for how this Missouri team looks in year one of the new season.