**West Virginia**
_Peter Baugh: Win, 24-17 (1-0)_
The Mountaineers will be a test for the Tigers, and it will set the tone for the rest of the season. I think Drew Lock and Missouri pull this game out. The sophomore quarterback will be improved under center. He will make mistakes — maybe an interception or two — but the Tigers will come away with the victory.
_Tyler Kraft: Win, 23-17 (1-0)_
Before you say it — yes, I know going into Morgantown will be tough. But the visitors hail from the Southeastern Conference. Last season, the SEC went 54-12 against out of conference opponents, including bowl games. (The next-best conference was the Big 10, which went 49-18.) While people may remember the days of Geno Smith and Kevin White, West Virginia’s current offense is led by Skyler Howard, a streaky quarterback who has really only shown up against mediocre teams. If Mizzou’s offense can put up 20-plus points, the Tigers will start the season off on a high note.
_Nick Kelly: Loss, 30-17 (0-1)_
At Mizzou practice, you cannot help but sense the optimism the players and coaches have heading into this game against the Mountaineers. Optimism doesn’t win you football games alone, though, especially against a team with a high-powered offense like West Virginia. Quarterback Skyler Howard and seven other offensive starters return from an offense that finished ranked 23rd in the nation in 2015. The Tigers’ offense will no doubt be better this season than last, but it won’t be able to keep up with the Mountaineers this early in the season. The Mizzou defense will keep them from a repeat of their 43-point performance in the Cactus Bowl, but an offensive line widely viewed as one of the best in the nation will keep D-Line Zou at bay, sending the Tigers back home with a loss.
**Eastern Michigan**
_Peter Baugh: Win, 48-7 (2-0)_
There is no reason that Missouri should lose a game to a team who has a mascot named “Swoop.” If the name of Eastern Michigan’s eagle isn’t enough for you, try this: SB Nation’s Bill Connelly ranked the boys from Ypsilanti No. 128 in college football … out of 128 teams.
_Tyler Kraft: Win, 35-6 (2-0)_
Barring a major upset, this game should be a gimme for the Tigers. While Mizzou’s offense was horrendous last year, the Eagles were equally as poor on defense against the mighty Mid-American Conference. Expect to see Mizzou put up a lot of points in its home opener.
_Nick Kelly: Win, 38-3 (1-1)_
The Tigers will come in hungry for their first win, which won’t bode well for Eastern Michigan. The Eagles won’t be as bad as their -13 turnover margin from 2015 indicates, but I don’t expect them to come close to a victory. The Tigers’ defense will take advantage of the turnover-prone offense. Expect a multi-sack game from Missouri defensive end Charles Harris.
**Georgia**
_Peter Baugh: Loss, 30-17 (2-1)_
The excitement of the season’s first Southeastern Conference game won’t be enough to carry the Tigers to a win over the Bulldogs. It will be a decently close game, but Georgia running back Nick Chubb will break out for a few big runs and the Georgia defense will contain the Tigers. But hey, at least Missouri will score more than six points against the Bulldogs this year.
_Tyler Kraft: Loss, 17-10 (2-1)_
Mizzou’s best hope is that Georgia freshman quarterback Jacob Eason has not yet acclimated to the college game when the Bulldogs walk into Columbia. Expect a stout Georgia defense led by Kirby Smart to give Mizzou very few chances to score. Having Nick Chubb back and healthy doesn’t hurt Georgia’s chances either.
_Nick Kelly: Win, 17-14 (2-1)_
Although this won’t be last year’s 9-6 game in which neither offense found a way to have much success, the Tigers and Bulldogs will, once again, engage in a defensive battle. If Georgia running back Nick Chubb is in his pre-injury Heisman-worthy form, I’ll give the Bulldogs the victory. But that is no guarantee, so an intense night-game atmosphere at Faurot Field will give Missouri a slight edge and its second victory despite coming in an underdog.
**Delaware State**
_Peter Baugh: Win, 31-10 (3-1)_
If this game is not a blowout, Missouri is in trouble. The Hornets have not won a road game since Oct. 11, 2014 (an overtime thriller against powerhouse Norfolk State), so the Tigers should have no trouble. Charles Harris and the defensive line will have a field day.
_Tyler Kraft: Win, 49-0 (3-1)_
This one should be another gimme for the Tigers. The Hornets went 1-10 last season with many of their losses being blowouts. It should be smooth sailing for a Tiger offense that will be in need of a confidence boost before heading down to Baton Rouge.
_Nick Kelly: Win, 34-10 (3-1)_
Coming off a big win over Georgia, Missouri has to be careful not to overlook Delaware State, whom the Tigers should beat 90 percent of the time. This isn’t the SEC Championship-contending Tigers team of two and three years ago, but they should have little issue with Delaware State at home.
**Louisiana State**
_Peter Baugh: Loss, 23-14 (3-2)_
It’s never easy to play against LSU. It’s especially difficult, though, on homecoming in Baton Rouge. The crowd will be loud, and Missouri will fall in the battle of the Tigers. On the bright side, I expect the Missouri defense to contain Leonard Fournette more than most teams. Unfortunately for Mizzou, that means he will still rush for 108 yards and a touchdown or two.
_Tyler Kraft: Loss, 35-7 (3-2)_
In a battle of the Tigers, I can only see the ones who hold home field advantage coming out on top. The Missouri offense will have trouble functioning in Death Valley while the Tiger defense will face a steady diet of Leonard Fournette. This game could be over by the end of the first half.
_Nick Kelly: Loss, 30-14 (3-2)_
Missouri will surprise some onlookers this season, but the result of this game will be no surprise. The Missouri Tigers defense will slow down Heisman candidate Leonard Fournette, but the Louisiana Tigers, No. 5 in the preseason rankings, will come out victorious.
**Florida**
_Peter Baugh: Win, 21-17 (4-2)_
The Gators do not have an established quarterback, and the Missouri defense will feast. Playing in the Swamp will not be fun, and Florida’s defense will keep the Gators close. I see Drew Lock having a strong game. He will throw for over 200 yards, and the Tigers will come away with a victory.
_Tyler Kraft: Loss, 14-10 (3-3)_
Take the under on this game. In the end, I think this game will come down to which defense can create more turnovers. Luckily for Florida, they have a player who is one of the best in the country at forcing turnovers in Jalen Tabor. Remember last year when he silenced the Mizzou homecoming crowd with a 40-yard interception return?
_Nick Kelly: Loss, 24-13 (3-3)_
The Tigers struggle to move the ball against the Gator defense led by cornerback Jalen Tabor, who will likely be the next Florida defensive back to go in the first round of the NFL draft. The Missouri defense keeps the Tigers in the game similar to most weeks, but that won’t be good enough to leave the Swamp with a victory, even after a week off.
**Middle Tennessee**
_Peter Baugh: Win, 24-17 (5-2)_
Missouri scheduled Florida as its Homecoming game last season, and that did not go too well. I guess the Tigers learned their lesson, because they picked a weaker opponent for 2016. Still, this game will not be a cakewalk for Missouri. The Blue Raiders only lost to Vanderbilt by four points last year, so the Tigers can’t afford to overlook them.
_Tyler Kraft: Win, 35-21 (4-3)_
This will be the game where Mizzou gets back on the horse and starts pushing for a bowl berth. Middle Tennessee was a force on offense last season and will continue to improve with redshirt sophomore Brent Stockstill looking to best his 4,000-plus yard freshman season. However, he has never faced a tougher defense than the one the Tigers will throw at him on Homecoming night.
_Nick Kelly: Win, 31-17 (4-3)_
What would normally be a potential trap game turns into a statement game from the Tigers on homecoming. Winless for almost a month, the Tigers come in hungry and end their two-game losing streak.
**Kentucky**
_Peter Baugh: Win, 17-10 (6-2)_
Missouri plays Kentucky right around the time of year the Wildcats started to implode the last two seasons. The Tigers will hope this is the case again in 2016. The Wildcats have a similar quarterback situation to Missouri. Drew Barker saw action as a freshman, and Kentucky fans hope he will break out as a sophomore. My guess? The Missouri defense gives the Wildcats fits, and the Tigers win by a touchdown.
_Tyler Kraft: Win, 21-7 (5-3)_
Kentucky has major questions to answer this season after losing eight starters on defense from last season. Will Courtney Love be able to live up to the hype that his high school career produced? Will that be enough to level the odds? I don’t think so.
_Nick Kelly: Loss, 20-17 (4-4)_
This may surprise some, but there is a Wild(cat) amount of talent on the offensive side of the ball with nine returning starters. They have a decent amount of talent at quarterback, wide receiver, on the offensive line and at running back with Stanley “Boom” Williams, a member of the SEC’s All-Preseason third team. Missouri stays in this game until the fourth quarter, but Kentucky’s offense makes the difference in the end.
**South Carolina**
_Peter Baugh: Win, 28-14 (7-2)_
The Gamecock offense is lackluster. The Missouri defense is stacked. This will make for a long day for South Carolina fans. The Tigers will pick up a SEC road win, and the defense will force over two turnovers. Unless the Missouri offense is unable to move the ball, I don’t see the Tigers struggling to pull out a win.
_Tyler Kraft: Win, 28-7 (6-3)_
Will Muschamp is facing a tall task in rebuilding a South Carolina program that fell apart last season. Without Pharoh Cooper, the Gamecock offense doesn’t really carry any major threats. Couple that with a Tiger defense that looks to be one of the best in the country and you get what appears to be an easy Missouri victory.
_Nick Kelly: Win, 24-20 (5-4)_
In the eyes of most supposed college football analysts, the Gamecocks are even worse off than the Tigers coming into the fall. Missouri is a significantly different team at this point with an offense that can move the ball efficiently with Drew Lock at the helm. The team from Columbia, Missouri — not Columbia, South Carolina — walks away with the victory.
**Vanderbilt**
_Peter Baugh: Win, 21-14 (8-2)_
Losing to Vanderbilt was arguably the low point in a mediocre 2015 season. Thankfully for the Black and Gold faithful, the Commodores’ offense is weak. Though Vanderbilt will keep the score closer than the Tigers would like, this game will be the high point in the Missouri season. Five straight wins is always a good way to energize the home crowd.
_Tyler Kraft: Win, 20-3 (7-3)_
Vanderbilt and Mizzou were nearly identical last season. Both sported strong defenses that tried to compensate for their horrible offenses. Ralph Webb could prove to be a thorn in the side of the Tiger defense but in the end, the Columbia crowd will prove too much for the Commodores.
_Nick Kelly: Win, 21-13 (6-4)_
Vanderbilt quarterback Kyle Shurmur comes into 2016 with little experience, but by this point in the season, that will no longer be the case. Vanderbilt could easily beat the Tigers, but with the game at Faurot Field, I give Missouri the advantage.
**Tennessee**
_Peter Baugh: Loss, 35-10 (8-3)_
If this was the first SEC game of the season, I’d put my money on the Tigers. The Volunteers are prone to slow starts and fast finishes. Unfortunately for Missouri, Tennessee will have started to heat up and will run run away with a victory. The Missouri player of the game will be punter Corey Fatony.
_Tyler Kraft: Loss, 35-17 (7-4)_
This year’s Tennessee team is projected to win the SEC East and possibly make the College Football Playoff. Joshua Dobbs could make a case for the Heisman by the end of the year and a dominating performance over the Missouri defense is certainly in the cards.
_Nick Kelly: Loss, 34-13 (6-5)_
This game presents Missouri with one of its toughest opponents of the 2016 season. Tennessee, ranked No. 9 in the AP’s 2016 Preseason football poll, won’t have much trouble with the Tigers as quarterback Joshua Dobbs and running back Jalen Hurd find frequent offensive success. The consolation for Missouri: Tennessee was in a similar position to the Tigers not long ago. So, it can get better.
**Arkansas**
_Peter Baugh: Loss, 24-20 (8-4)_
The Tigers will fall in the Border War for the second straight year. It will be closer than last season’s disappointing 28-3 massacre, but the Razorbacks will pull out the win in Missouri’s final regular-season game. The Razorback defense is returning nine starters, and they will slow down the Missouri attack and fluster Drew Lock. Fortunately for the Tigers, their 8-4 record will propel them into a decent bowl game.
_Tyler Kraft: Loss, 21-20 (7-5)_
If the Tigers can win this game, they would have a good shot for a New Year’s Day Bowl if the rest of my predictions fall into place. However, Arkansas is possibly the most physical team in the SEC and maybe the entire country. The Tiger offense will have trouble moving the ball while the Tiger defense will slowly erode away under the plodding Arkansas attack.
_Nick Kelly: Loss, 27-17 (6-6)_
Arkansas is a tough team to beat in November. Heck, they’ll be a tough team to beat any time of the year with a talented roster that includes seven players who made the Preseason All-SEC team. The matchup between the massive Razorback offensive line and the speedy, powerful Tigers’ defensive line will be fun to watch, but Missouri fails to slow down their new rival.
