Texas A&M shows up to Columbia with a Playoff appearance on the resume and top-10 preseason buzz behind it. Missouri shows up with a defense gutted by the draft and a star running back whose availability is a genuine question mark.
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Best BetTexas A&M
Texas A&M enters with the more proven quarterback, a Playoff résumé, and a transfer class that graded out top-3 nationally, while Missouri is breaking in a new starter under center. That gap in continuity is the whole ballgame on the moneyline — back the Aggies to win outright.
Texas A&M
+Reed returns for year 3, Playoff experience
+Elko extended after program's best season since 1995
+Top-3 nationally ranked transfer portal class
−Lost 10 players in the NFL Draft, a program record
−Replacing WR1 Concepcion and edge rusher Howell
−First Playoff trip ended in a home loss
Missouri
+Portal QB Simmons brings fresh talent to the room
+Interior D-line duo Gracial, Marshall return with experience
+Home crowd, favorable slate per preseason previews
−Star RB Ahmad Hardy recovering from a gunshot wound
−Lost 4 defensive/LB starters to the NFL Draft
−New starting QB with no prior Missouri game reps
This is Marcel Reed's show now. The Aggies' QB is back for his third year running Mike Elko's offense after throwing for 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2025, and he's one of only 3 Aggies making the trip to SEC Media Days this July — the program's first quarterback to get that call since Kellen Mond back in 2019. Elko got a contract extension out of that 11-2, No. 3 AP finish, and Reed's development is the reason A&M is being talked about as a preseason top-10 team before the poll even drops.
Missouri's story is different. Eli Drinkwitz lost his starting QB (Beau Pribula, transferred to Virginia) and his backup, so he went to the portal and landed Ole Miss transfer Austin Simmons to run the offense in 2026. On defense, the Tigers watched 4 contributors get drafted, including DE Zion Young and LB Josiah Trotter back-to-back in the second round — the exact duo that combined for 15.5 sacks and 26 tackles for loss a year ago. That's a lot of production to replace against a Reed-led attack.
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The history favors the visitors, too. Texas A&M leads the all-time series 12-7 and rolled Missouri 38-17 the last time these two played, in November 2025. Since both joined the SEC, though, it's been a fairly even fight — 5-5 over the last 10 meetings — so this isn't a series where either side just shows up and wins.
Texas A&M Aggies
Oct 2?vs Arkansas—
Sep 25?@ LSU—
Sep 19?vs Kentucky—
Sep 12?vs Arizona State—
Sep 5?vs Missouri State—
Missouri Tigers
Oct 2?vs Florida—
Sep 25?@ Mississippi State—
Sep 19?vs Troy—
Sep 11?@ Kansas—
Sep 3?vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff—
Recent form.
Both rosters got reshaped by the draft this spring, but not evenly. A&M's portal class graded out top-3 nationally as Elko reloaded the trenches, and Mario Craver is set up to inherit the No. 1 receiver role after KC Concepcion left as a first-round pick. Missouri's rebuild is heavier — new quarterback, thinner front seven, and less proven depth behind the losses.
The bigger Missouri storyline has nothing to do with the depth chart. Star running back Ahmad Hardy, last year's SEC Newcomer of the Year after rushing for 1,649 yards, was shot in the leg in May and underwent surgery. Drinkwitz said in June that Hardy is progressing but still working back and not yet full weight-bearing — his status for this game is unresolved months out, and it looms over everything Missouri tries to build on offense.
Texas A&M Aggies
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Missouri Tigers
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Put it together and this is a Playoff-tested team on the road against a Missouri squad trying to answer three questions at once — who plays quarterback, who rushes the passer, and whether its best offensive weapon is even available. Friday, October 9 is a long way off, and camp battles can change plenty. But right now, this one leans heavily toward College Station.
