WELCOME BACK TO PREGAMIN’, HERE’S YOUR JAM OF THE WEEK
LET’S SEND THESE BURNT ORANGE BASTARDS BACK TO NEWLY-WOKE TEXAS
Rock M-ixology
You know what is old hat? Complaining about the end of Daylight Savings Time. We get it. It’s dark. It makes you sad and sleepy. We get it, join the club.
We all need to collectively stop complaining about the antiquated way we work with the DST system and either (a) change it! or (b) collectively seethe and cope. You know how I like to cope? By pretending its still summer outside and ignore
any impulse to consume spiced and/or warm alcoholic beverages. So let’s fight the rising moon and make a simple, refreshing Paloma.
Juice from one freshly-squeezed lime. 2 oz reposado tequila of your choice. Grapefruit soda, preferably a Jarritos. Salt or saline.
Add lime juice, tequila and salt/saline to the glass, and top with ice. Stir gently, then top with soda. Stir once or twice more.
Here’s to fighting season depression and (hopefully) spurring Mizzou onto another date in Athens with a win in their pocket.
- Arch Manning gets a ton of criticism as a third-generation Manning who comes from a long line of winners, but did you know he actually has the highest QB Rating of the four Mannings who have played at the Division I level? His current QBR of 148.5 is actually higher than his grandfather or either of his uncles ever achieved during their time in school.
- In the battle of famous actors who went to their respective schools, Texas might have the more ardent fan in Matthew McConaughey, but Brad Pitt has the box office edge at $11.2 billion to McConaughey’s $9.9 billion.
- The last time Texas beat Missouri in Columbia was more than 17 years ago, when a single from Britney Spears’ second greatest hits collection was the number one song in America. How’s that for making you feel old?!
WE BACK TO HATIN’ TEXAS?!?! Obviously there was a lot of animosity toward the burnt orange when Mizzou left the Big XII, but those days are behind us… right? How are you feeling about UT these days?
Matthew Gustafson, Beat Writer: As someone who didn’t grow up watching Mizzou football, I don’t have the same views of Texas as many others might have. To be quite blunt, the Longhorns simply haven’t been relevant for much of my life. Can it be somewhat irksome at times to see UT fans continue to act like they’re Alabama or Ohio State when the Charlie Strong and Tom Herman years are still within recent memory? Sure. But because they’ve been mostly out of sight, they’ve also been mostly out of mind for me.
Colin Simmons, Beat Writer: I’m not sure the hate ever really left. There’s something about Texas that makes it hard not to root against them, especially with the way some coaches, players and fans carry themselves. The move to the SEC only gave us more reasons to dislike them. It’s the fact that they’ve always had an advantage in getting better recruits even before NIL, and they haven’t done much with all that talent, which is also a contributing factor.
Sammy Stava, Staff Writer: Texas isn’t at the top of my hate list of teams, but the Longhorns are up there, and I enjoy seeing them lose and saying “Horns Down.” What really made me dislike the program was when the AD stated that “Texas’ bad years are better than Mizzou’s good years”. Ryan Wingo committing to UT hurt as well.
Nate Edwards, Football Analyst: It’s so fun to make the “horns down”. Go ahead. Do it now. So easy. So liberating.
Ahmad Hardy’s return to action was a bit of a dud, as the staff yanked him after only two carries. What should fans rightly expect from the All-American for the rest of 2026?
Matthew Gustafson: It’s possible that Hardy comes out the next two weeks and receives a significant number of touches. But I think it would be smart for Tigers fans to temper their expectations for Hardy for the rest of the season. While he may be physically cleared and good to go, getting yourself in the right spot mentally to return from a major injury is an entirely different challenge, and you can tell Drinkwitz was being ultra cautious with putting his All-American on the field against Arkansas.
Colin Simmons: I wouldn’t expect Hardy to immediately return to his old workload, but I also wouldn’t count him out just yet. Mizzou has little reason to rush its most valuable offensive weapon back into action. If he’s able to get more comfortable over the next couple of weeks, he could be a huge difference-maker down the stretch. For now, patience continues to be the name of the game.
Sammy Stava: I think we’ll see Hardy progressively improve each game, and I think he will be able to contribute in some big spots to take the pressure off of Roberts a bit. It might just be asking too much for him to get back to the All-American level he was at last season, but I’m not going to doubt him.
Nate Edwards: My expected ceiling is second-string ‘back. Anything more than that is bonus.
Steve Sarkisian has revived the Longhorns from their meme era, but he hasn’t yet climbed the mountain in Austin. If he doesn’t get the Longhorns to the CFP this year, is he in danger?
Matthew Gustafson: Should he be? No. But he might be anyway. That’s life when your fanbase has an absurd pile of cash and absolutely zero patience.
Colin Simmons: I think he’s safe. Sarkisian has brought the Longhorns back into the national conversation, but at some point, moral victories and playoff appearances aren’t going to cut it. When you spend as much as Texas does, the expectation is championships, not almost getting there.
Sammy Stava: Man, if Texas doesn’t make the CFP as a preseason top five team, then Sarkisian might be on the hot seat with the high expectations and money the Longhorns have. Sure, they have big-time wins this season against Ohio State, Ole Miss, and Tennessee — but the losses to Oklahoma and Florida certainly have the fanbase frustrated. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he gets let go if the Horns don’t make the CFP.
Nate Edwards: Forget the CFP: if he doesn’t beat Mizzou that dude is G-O-N-E
PICK ‘EM! Mizzou opened as a -3.5 dog to Texas, and it’s looking like it’ll be a tight line no matter what. Can Mizzou pull the upset and put Texas’ CFP dreams in the mud?
Matthew Gustafson: Earlier this year, Mizzou beat Florida, who beat Ole Miss, who beat Mizzou. Texas beat Ole Miss, who beat Mizzou, who … you know what, why not, let’s say the Tigers complete another circle of parity and take down the Longhorns. Let chaos continue to reign supreme in the SEC, 27-24.
Colin Simmons: Absolutely. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about this Mizzou team, it’s that it can beat anyone at home. Texas has the bigger national profile, but that doesn’t mean much once the whistle blows. Give me the Tigers to defend Faurot Field and send the Longhorns home with a 30-26 loss. After all, why not ruin somebody’s playoff hopes if the chance is at your doorstep?
Sammy Stava: Texas is pretty banged up at the moment, and Arch Manning has been way too inconsistent to be trusted on the road. Simmons outplays Manning at the QB position. Eli Drinkwitz and the boys find a way to get it done at home. 28-24, Mizzou — with an Elijah Dotson INT to seal it.
Nate Edwards: If the injured guys are actually out Missouri can absolutely do this. But Arch also finds a way to keep opponents in it before making a late push. I’ll say 27-21 Mizzou. Apologies in advance for believing this to be possible.
