​Arkansas is set to face Missouri this season, and the odds are clearly tilted in favor of the Tigers in most matchups. Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz has built a track record that suggests Arkansas will have to work hard to pull off an upset. Rock M Nation highlights several numbers that frame Drinkwitz’s performance: he is 33-5 in 38 games against teams with lower SP+ ratings, and 28-4 in 32 games against opponents with losing records. These figures emphasize that Drinkwitz tends to win the games he is expected to win. Some of those losses came during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period many programs acknowledge as abnormal and unpredictable. Among his wins against teams with losing records, Drinkwitz has only one loss since the 2023 season.
If Arkansas has a sliver of hope, it may lie in playing Missouri on its home field. Rock M Nation notes that Drinkwitz has not been a particularly strong road coach for Missouri, carrying a 10-17 record in 27 true road games. The analysis quotes, “This feels right and goes to show just how hard it always has been to play on the road. The fact that he’s currently only 2% better than (former Missouri coach Barry) Odom doesn’t make it any better.” It also lists Drinkwitz’s ten true-road wins (not counting bowls): South Carolina (2020), Vanderbilt (2021), South Carolina (2022), Vanderbilt (2023), at Kentucky (2023), Arkansas (2023), Massachusetts (2024), Mississippi State (2024), Auburn (2025), Arkansas (2025). Notably, half of those road wins came against South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and UMass. On the other hand, nearly 40% of his road victories occurred in the last two seasons. Whether you view those statistics optimistically or pessimistically, they provide ammunition for fans weighing Drinkwitz’s road performance.
Overall, Drinkwitz has kept Missouri competitive within the SEC. The Tigers have not yet broken through to the College Football Playoff, but they have repeatedly flirted with the upper echelon and positioned themselves as contenders. That level of consistency marks a notable achievement for Missouri, even if the breakthrough many fans crave—winning the biggest games of the season—has remained elusive for decades. The program aims to push beyond that ceiling, and this season offers an opportunity to test whether they can take the next step rather than allow the pattern of late-season losses to define their trajectory.
For Arkansas, 2026 presents another chance to challenge Missouri and potentially deliver a road defeat that lingers with the Tigers. If the Razorbacks can capitalize on a favorable setting and execute in key moments, they might turn Drinkwitz’s road-traveling concerns into a memorable setback for Missouri. Such an outcome could helping to shift momentum and contribute to Arkansas’s broader objective of reasserting itself within the SEC landscape, while also testing Missouri’s resilience in the wake of their recent road challenges.