ESPN FPI predicts outcome of Arkansas at Missouri
Coined the “Battle Line Rivalry,” the campuses of Arkansas and Missouri are separated by approximately 300 miles.
Each in their first year under their respective head coaches, Sam Pittman and Eli Drinkwitz, the Razorbacks will enter Saturday at 3-5, while the Tigers are above .500 at 4-3.
ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) unveiled their updated projection for this clash on Sunday, awarding Missouri a 60.1 percent chance to secure the win at home.
Here is ESPN’s definition of the FPI:
“The FPI is a measure of team strength meant to be the best predictor of a team’s success going forward for the rest of the season.
“FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.
“Ratings and projections update daily. FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete.”
First meeting in 1906, the Tigers own an 8-3 all-time edge in this rivalry, including four-straight wins.
Saturday’s action from Memorial Stadium in Columbia will kick at 12 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
This could be a very tight game. We’re starting to get some history here. I hope everyone comes to play. Should be a good one.
Can’t wait.
Razorbacks can’t wait to win this one for Barry Odom. They have never really respected Mizzou. Every year when the schedule comes out they mark this as a win. Now that they are actually playing decent football, they do expect to win this game. I know because I live in Arkansas. Perhaps if Arkansas loses again they will start to look at Mizzou as a rival or if they win and Mizzou fans see the true colors of Razorback fans they will find out that they are worse than Kansas fans when they are winning.
hogs record vs Mizzou is 3-8 so keep disrespecting us.
Arkansas is 1-7 in the last 8 games between these two teams????
Boy you’re a special kind of stupid, are t you?
I am also a Razorback fan, but I need to caution everybody about this Mizzou team. They may not be as high profile as Alabama or Florida, but they are always very good and competitive team. Razorback football has not been very good lately, but under the current coaching team that is brilliant, they are doing great so far with what they have. This will be very good and close game, possibly down to the last possession.
Just so you know, we know you guys got something going special this year. Heard it elsewhere, but this game may decide Coach of the Year in the SEC.
Well we’ve respected the Razorbacks in that we alway known you’ll give us a tough game we expect to win. But we’ve never looked at this as a rivalry game. South Carolina, Tennessee, even Kentucky. But not Arkansas. If we lose, we might start to see this as a rivalry. If we win, nope.
Being so new to the SEC seems your rivals would be kansas, K State and Iowa St.
the Battle Line Rivalry is a trophy game to generate interest. Seems neither school considers the other one a rival. BTW, you built your record against the two worst coaches in Ark history.
Wildhogzzz: true, Mizzou has been much better than Arkansas since joining the SEC (5-1). However, your comment ignores the 3-2 record Mizzou held prior to that point, including a win over local hero Frank Broyles and a dominant win over McFadden and company in the Cotton Bowl. It also ignores this: in the past 30 years, Arkansas has finished in the top 25 only five times, including once in the top 10. During that same period, Mizzou has finished in the top 25 seven times and twice in the top 10. So, please understand I’m not suggesting Mizzou is a powerhouse, far from it. But fans generally need to do a better job of recognizing their own team’s reality. Will Arkansas ever return to its glory years of the 60s and 70s? Never say never but will be hard to do. At least AR is in the right conference and adjacent to talent-rich TX.
Saturday’s game should be close…probably a coin toss on a neutral field. The main takeaway from this season is tremendous improvement by both teams and huge upgrades in the coaching staff.
Name 3 teams Mizzou hasn’t played in 12 years. Oh, wait I though you were giving me a trivia question.
We all know it’s a forced rivalry, one that you guys haven’t shown up for so it’s the game you don’t want to lose after having a good season for us.
Having Barry Odom on your staff gives you guys something to play for with this game. We still want to beat you, and I’m sure Drinkwitz has a little motivation as well. And just like Pittman, our guys have been playing for him.
So we look forward to seeing you guys at 11am in CoMo. What you failed to mention is we beat you with our worst coach these last 4 years.
“BTW, you built your record against the two worst coaches in Ark history”. So now even the wins over Arky come with an asterisk?
No asterisk’s from this Hog fan Cap. A W is a W. There can be no excuses given, that would justify any loss. I will only say this, as a former player myself, you can’t be a winning program, when you have had 4 coaches (Counting Barry Lunney Jr.) in the past 4 years. 4 coaches…4 different systems. Not good. Petrino brought us a winning program, but couldn’t stay on his motorcycle. This program has been a dumpster fire for the last decade. We like to fire coaches on the field, or before bowl games (Cotton Bowl vs Mizzou), lol. I personally, being here in KC, would love this to become a rivalry, and I actually think it will, whether Odom was here or not. Eventually Odom will move on, and that won’t be the headliner anymore. It will be more about two good football teams who are close in proximity, who recruit the same areas, who are in the same conference, who rebuilt their programs respectively, and most importantly, who are hopefully fighting for a conference championship. I think this year is the turning point for our abysmal showing against Mizzou. Hogs 27 Tigers 21 (** Here’s my asterisk…Lol…if we hold Roundtree to under 100 yards). Woo Pig.
Actually, just read that Rakeem Boyd just opted out, SMH!! Can I change my prediction?? Lol.
BossHog, my brother and I drank and smoked cigars with Hawgs before the Cotton bowl (mistake moving it to Jerry World, horrible venue). Great guys, wished you been one of them. I only talk smack with the guys who throw first. Assuming you played for Ark?
Guinny, I was at the game is well…unfortunately, lol. Was not the game any Hog fans were expecting, albeit we did have some doubts, due to just firing Nutt and not having a HC. I actually almost walked on for Nutt, but ended up playing D2 ball (QB) outside of Chicago. Fun times, but I’m 40 and overweight, and that seems like an eternity ago, lol. Now I just drown my tears with watching my Hogs blow games and fire coaches. Hopefully we get it done on Saturday, but it will be tough task vs a Mizzou team that I believe is hitting their stride. I’m encouraged with our guys, as we played LSU without 3 starting D-lineman, and a starting nickel back, and still should have won the game. Boyd opting out hurts bad, as he’s our bigger back, which I believe we need against your big D line.
At two extremes: A program can think and train for one rival or,
A program can think and train for every opponent on their
schedule with the same energy, wit, determination, and skill.
One of these attitudes makes small minded victories about half the time,
The other makes big bowl game heroic teams and individuals the institution never forgets.
Playing an occasional game with Nebraska, Kansas State, Colorado, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Oklahoma, is a fine idea. The decision to play Kansas again is a small-minded and self-hating. Even if Missouri wins the game every year they will be worse every year for doing it.
I hope all Missouri and Arkansas fans will join me in telling the SEC, “rotate our game like all the other cross division games”.
The SEC is making a mistake by not rotating at least two non-division games every year. Having fixed cross-div. rival kills 50% of these exciting match ups. This year the SEC could have renewed, by the regular rotation order, the next 3 cross division exciting contests, but instead the gave us the yawning match-ups meant to make some teams look better but actually making them worse. Programs that want to play each other every year, but are not in the same division, can still schedule each other as a non-conference game.
There’s less chance of any SEC school scheduling another SEC school for an out of conference football game then there is of it snowing in Arkansas in July.