COLUMBIA, Mo. — The first quarter, which was always going to be the easiest quarter, of Missouri’s football schedule is over. The No. 23 Tigers, undefeated so far, are pleased with their early showings.
That’s not to say they’ve been perfect, but beating Central Arkansas, Kansas and Louisiana produced far more encouragement than flaws.
“We’re 3-0, you know?†Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz said after Saturday’s win against the Ragin’ Cajuns. “... There’s plenty of stuff to work on and get better, but I liked their mentality going into the game. I think there’s been plenty of teams around the country going to these types of games and it’s a lot tougher than they want it to be.â€
MU’s next quarter of the season — South Carolina at 6 p.m. Saturday, UMass on Sept. 27, Alabama on Oct. 11 — will see its first foray into the Southeastern Conference, where 11 teams including the Tigers are ranked Top 25.
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Only three of the league’s teams — Arkansas, Florida and Kentucky — did not receive at least one vote in the most recent poll from The Associated Press.
The SEC remains deep, talented and deeply talented.
Yet it’s also wide open, as shown by its quarterback situations.
Taking stock of the SEC’s signal-callers is an intriguing thought experiment for this week. So is placing Missouri’s Beau Pribula, who’s had a very encouraging first three games in black and gold, in that hierarchy.
The team with the best quarterback doesn’t automatically win the conference, but strength at the most important position in football can only help as a possible difference maker in a league that looks to have a high degree of parity.
The SEC’s best team right now, at least according to the polls, is No. 3 Louisiana State. LSU beat Clemson, Florida and Louisiana Tech to start the season, but it’s been the Tigers’ defense — led by former MU defensive coordinator Blake Baker — leading the way. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and the LSU offense have yet to score more than 23 points in a game, even against three teams with unspectacular to poor defenses.
Nussmeier’s team might look the most like a national title contender right now, but he’s not the sole reason why.
Same goes for No. 5 Georgia, led by Gunner Stockton. He looked pedestrian in two breezy wins over Marshall and Austin Peay but leveled up for a road win Saturday against Tennessee. If he plays like he did in Knoxville — 74.2% completion rate, 304 yards, two passing touchdowns and a rushing score — Stockton will finish up there in the QB hierarchy. For now, there’s still room to grow.
One of the most followed stories in all of college football has been the pedestrian start to the season from Arch Manning, the quarterback of No. 8 Texas, who looks mortal after all. He’s now tied for 16th in Heisman odds. It’s probably more a reflection of how quickly his hype train had gained steam than anything else, but Manning’s stature in the SEC is not what it was thought to be.
No. 10 Texas A&M picked up a nail-biter of a win at Notre Dame on Saturday but did that almost despite quarterback Marcel Reed, who completed less than 50% of his passes and benefited from the Fighting Irish failing to pick him off.
Of the SEC’s top five teams, it’s John Mateer at Oklahoma who seems like the best in the conference thus far. After transferring over from Washington State with his offensive coordinator, Mateer’s leading the league in completions and passing yards. He’s also got the best Heisman odds in the country.
Yet of those five teams, it’s really only Mateer and Nussmeier who would make many lists of the SEC’s five best quarterbacks.
Diego Pavia deserves a spot in there, having lost none of the magic that helps No. 20 Vanderbilt stun opponents. The word is and has been out about what he can do, but South Carolina was powerless to stop it over the weekend.
Save a spot, too, for Joey Aguilar, the Tennessee quarterback who’s made the No. 15 Vols feel much better than expected about their signal-caller situation. Aguilar transferred to Rocky Top as the less-hullabaloo’d half of a “trade†that sent Nico Iamaleava to UCLA and booted Aguilar from the Bruins to the Volunteers. Given that the Bruins are 0-3 and fired their coach Sunday, Aguilar already came out on the right side of that flashpoint.
He did throw two picks in Tennessee’s overtime loss to Georgia but also posted 371 passing yards and five total touchdowns. Aguilar has been one of the biggest risers in stature this season.
There are other SEC quarterbacks who could wind up in the top five, if nothing else, because of their team’s success. Think Austin Simmons, currently injured for No. 13 Mississippi or Ty Simpson of a No. 14 Alabama team that still looks vulnerable.
LaNorris Sellers, the South Carolina quarterback whom Mizzou might face this weekend, depending on how his recovery from a presumed concussion suffered Saturday goes, may also be in there.
But now to Pribula, the Penn State transfer starting for the first time this season, with the Tigers.
He’s leading the SEC in completion percentage, sixth in the league in passing yards, tied for fifth in passing touchdowns, fourth in passer rating and fourth in quarterback rushing touchdowns.
Those statistical leaderboards aren’t completely fair yet, as Pribula has yet to even face an SEC defense.
Still, looking around the league, it’s clearly possible that he could get there: play like not just a top-half quarterback but top five — or better. Missouri has shown depth and other strengths to a degree that its 2025 iteration is not dependent on a star quarterback to produce results, but Pribula comparing so favorably to his SEC peers would only help Mizzou this season.
