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COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥� Twenty-five games to define the past 25 years of Missouri football, from field-storming results to late-game drama.

At this summer鈥檚 quarter-century mark, and with the 2025 season creeping closer, the Post-Dispatch is taking a look back at the last 25 years of MU sports. Today, that鈥檚 the 25 best Mizzou football games since 2000.

Two notes of preamble: Best is subjective, of course. As you鈥檒l see below, it鈥檚 loosely defined for these rankings as the combination of the Tigers winning, key individual performances, iconic moments and the impact of victories on the program. Second, this is part of an occasional series of Mizzou-related 鈥渢op 25鈥� rankings rolling out over the next few days. You can find the first one, sorting out which football players are the most important to the 2025 team, here.

Now for the best Missouri football games of the 21st century, ranked from No. 25 to No. 1.

25: Missouri 38, No. 13 Florida 17 (2018)

The signature win of the Barry Odom-Drew Lock era came in Gainesville as Odom got his first victory over a ranked opponent in eight tries. Lock threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns in what was also his first win against a ranked team.

24: Missouri 42, Florida 13 (2014)

You鈥檇 never know it looking at the scoreline, but quarterback Maty Mauk threw for only 20 yards in this game. Yet the Tigers kept the 2014 season from going off the rails through some alternative scoring techniques, including Marcus Murphy scoring three touchdowns: a run, a kickoff return and a punt return.

23: Missouri 33, Illinois 20 (2002)

Second-year coach Gary Pinkel handed the keys to redshirt freshman quarterback Brad Smith, who ran for 138 yards and passed for 152 in his debut. Opening the season in the Dome, MU beat an Illini team that won the Big Ten the year prior.

22: Missouri 51, Tennessee 48 (4OT, 2012)

The only quadruple-overtime game Mizzou has ever played didn鈥檛 mean a ton to a blah first season in the Southeastern Conference, but it sure was a ride. Quarterback James Franklin forced overtime with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Dorial Green-Beckham on 4th-and-12 with 47 seconds in regulation, then Baggett finally won it for the Tigers with a 35-yard field goal.

21: Missouri 38, No. 16 Texas A&M 31 (OT, 2011)

Franklin earned his 鈥淭anklin鈥� nickname for busting five tackles on a 20-yard scramble touchdown in this game, also tossing a game-winning score in overtime to sink the ranked Aggies in College Station.

20: Missouri 27, Iowa State 24 (OT, 2005)

The Tigers trailed 24-14 in their homecoming game when Smith left the game after a hit to the head. In came freshman Chase Daniel, who led two fourth-quarter scoring drives before Mizzou won in overtime.

19: No. 16 Missouri 36, No. 14 Tennessee 7 (2023)

After two years of blowout losses to the Volunteers, Eli Drinkwitz鈥檚 Tigers pounded UT at home for some revenge. Running back Cody Schrader picked up 321 total yards 鈥� the second most ever by an MU player in a single game.

18: Missouri 21, No. 13 South Carolina 20 (2014)

Tailback Russell Hansbrough鈥檚 third touchdown of the day came on 4th-and-goal with 96 seconds left, setting up a game-winning Andrew Baggett extra point for a come-from-behind upset.

17: No. 14 Missouri 36, No. 22 Florida 17 (2013)

With Franklin out injured from a prior game that you鈥檒l read about shortly, freshman Maty Mauk threw for 295 yards in his first start as the Tigers breezed past the normally stingy Gators to get to 7-0.

16: Missouri 45, No. 17 Louisiana State 41 (2020)

Drinkwitz鈥檚 first win at Mizzou came in front of a pandemic-limited home crowd and wasn鈥檛 even supposed to be played in Columbia. A hurricane affecting Baton Rouge moved the game north, where a goal-line stand on the 1-yard line preserved MU鈥檚 lead over the defending national champs.

15: No. 19 Missouri 21, Auburn 17 (2024)

Quarterback Brady Cook left his final homecoming game at Faurot Field with a rough-looking ankle injury, took a visit to the hospital for imaging and then returned to lead a comeback. The roar of recognition as those in the stadium realized Cook was coming back to play became a defining moment of his collegiate career.

14: No. 11 Missouri 33, Florida 31 (2023)

Wideout Luther Burden III鈥檚 catch on 4th and 17 kept a game-winning drive alive as MU battled UF in a back-and-forth affair.

13: No. 17 Missouri 21, Arkansas 14 (2014)

Defensive end Markus Golden recovered a fumble with just over two minutes remaining to secure the win over the Razorbacks, which sent the Tigers to the SEC championship game for the second straight season.

12: Missouri 41, Kansas 39 (2009)

For the third time in four games, receiver Danario Alexander posted more than 200 yards. But it was a sack of Jayhawks quarterback Todd Reesing for a safety 鈥� another of those to come on this list 鈥� with 2:39 to play and a Grant Ressel field goal as time expired that made this win so memorable.

11: No. 6 Missouri 52, No. 20 Illinois 42 (2008)

The Tigers and Illini combined for more than 1,000 yards in the Dome, with Jeremy Maclin鈥檚 playmaking looming large. He returned one kickoff 99 yards for a score while Sean Weatherspoon added a pick-six late.

10: Missouri 38, South Carolina 31 (2005)

Smith鈥檚 last game in black and gold came in the 2005 Independence Bowl, where he accounted for 431 yards of offense and brought the Tigers back from down 21-0 in the first quarter to win. He ran for three touchdowns in this game, including the game-winner.

9: No. 24 Missouri 30, Oklahoma 23 (2024)

A tense build-up to this reunion of longtime conference foes yielded to an early slug-fest before the game broke chaotically open in the fourth quarter. The Sooners led 23-16 at the two-minute warning, but wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. 鈥� playing against his former team 鈥� caught a Drew Pyne pass before defensive end Zion Young鈥檚 scoop-and-score gave the Tigers 14 points in the final 63 seconds for a win.

8: No. 6 Missouri 38, No. 25 Arkansas 7 (2007)

Playing in the Cotton Bowl was a letdown for a Mizzou team that had been ranked No. 1 heading into the Big 12 championship game, which was all the fuel the Tigers needed for a dominant showing. Tony Temple ran for 281 yards and four touchdowns.

7: No. 8 Missouri 41, No. 13 Oklahoma State 31 (2013)

Michael Sam forced a fumble that Shane Ray took 73 yards to the house for a Cotton Bowl win, completing a comeback after the Tigers had trailed heading into the final five minutes.

6: No. 25 Missouri 41, No. 7 Georgia 26 (2013)

Franklin was knocked out of this road matchup with the Bulldogs, but that didn鈥檛 keep MU from springing an upset. A Mauk lateral to Bud Sasser set up a game-winning touchdown pass from the receiver to L鈥橠amian Washington in what is still Mizzou鈥檚 most impressive SEC win.

5: Missouri 41, No. 10 Nebraska 24 (2003)

The Huskers had won 24 games in a row against the Tigers 鈥� until this one. Four Smith touchdowns, two trick play scores and MU outscoring Nebraska 27-0 in the fourth quarter brought fans onto the field and both goalposts down.

4: Missouri 30, No. 15 Kansas State 27 (2023)

The first two weeks of the 鈥�23 season had not created much confidence in the Tigers. But Harrison Mevis鈥� 61-yard field goal 鈥� which would鈥檝e been a 56-yarder had a delay of game penalty not backed him up farther 鈥� cleared the crossbar, setting in motion a special season.

3: No. 5 Missouri 28, No. 21 Texas A&M 21 (2013)

Henry Josey broke loose for a 57-yard rushing touchdown that broke a fourth-quarter deadlock, sending the Tigers into their first SEC championship game. His run marked a remarkable comeback, from a knee injury that kept him out of the 2012 season and for a Pinkel-led program that had struggled in its SEC debut.

2: No. 11 Missouri 36, No. 1 Oklahoma 27 (2010)

ESPN鈥檚 College GameDay came to town, drawing a packed crowd to its set in front of MU鈥檚 columns on homecoming. Then Gahn McGaffie took the opening kickoff to the house and Jerell Jackson spun a 38-yard pass from Blaine Gabbert into the end zone to take down the Sooners. Goalposts came down and made their way to a downtown Columbia bar amid the celebrations.

1: No. 4 Missouri 36, No. 2 Kansas 28 (2007)

If you could go back in time to watch any Mizzou football game you wanted, would it be anything other than this Arrowhead Stadium showdown?

Missouri leapt out to a 21-0 lead and stayed in front the rest of the way, though KU climbed back in to make things competitive. That ended with Lorenzo Williams鈥� sack of Reesing inside the Kansas quarterback鈥檚 end zone for a game-sealing safety. The Tigers ruined the Jayhawks鈥� perfect season and moved to No. 1 in the nation with the win, also clinching the Big 12鈥檚 north division.