The Missouri Tigers are 4-0 and ranked No. 23 in the country in Sunday’s new Associated Press Top 25. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

Not long after getting home from its “Mizzou to the Lou” trip to St. Louis for what proved to be a successful and exciting and game against Memphis, the Missouri Tigers found out they had been added to the Associated Press’ NCAA Top 25 poll at spot No. 23. The Tigers also landed a spot in the US LBM Coaches Poll, at No. 22.

Missouri is 4-0 on the season, after defeating Memphis 34-27 Saturday night, and that victory, along with the upset of then-No. 15 Kansas State last week, helped earned the Tigers the votes they needed to move into the Top 25.

This is the first time Missouri has been ranked since 2019, and this is the first time the team has been ranked since head coach Eli Drinkwitz took over in 2021.

The Tigers were last ranked in the AP poll on Oct. 23, 2019 (No. 22), and this is the first appearance in the Coaches Poll since Sept. 20, 2015 (No. 23).

Three St. Louis natives, WR Luther Burden III, QB Brady Cook, and RB Cody Schrader, were key factors in Mizzou’s win in St. Louis on Saturday. Burden had a game-high 10 receptions for a career high 177 yards, Cook threw for 341 yards and two TDs. He also rushed for a score. And Schrader rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown.

The former Lutheran South High School standout leads the SEC in rushing with 403 yards in four games this season. Burden is third in the conference in receiving yards with 506. And Cook is second in QBR, at 185.23. The Chaminade High product has seven passing touchdowns and no interceptions this season.

Mizzou will begin its SEC league play next weekend, when it travels to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt. The Commodores are coming off a loss in their own SEC opener this past Saturday to Kentucky.

Saturday’s game at Vanderbilt’s FirstBank Stadium is scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m., and will be televised live on SEC Network.

WEEK 5 AP NCAA FOOTBALL TOP 25 RANKINGS

RANK	SCHOOL	POINTS	RECORD	PREVIOUS
1	Georgia (55)	1562	4-0	1
2	Michigan (1)	1445	4-0	2
3	Texas (2)	1401	4-0	3
4	Ohio State (1)	1370	4-0	6
5	Florida State (3)	1351	4-0	4
6	Penn State	1244	4-0	7
7	Washington (1)	1228	4-0	8
8	USC	1169	4-0	5
9	Oregon	1076	4-0	10
10	Utah	981	4-0	11
11	Notre Dame	904	3-1	9
12	Alabama	862	3-1	13
13	LSU	813	3-1	12
14	Oklahoma	716	4-0	16
15	North Carolina	659	4-0	17
16	Washington State	652	4-0	21
17	Duke	648	4-0	18
18	Miami (FL)	523	4-0	20
19	Oregon State	366	3-1	14
20	Ole Miss	349	3-1	15
21	Tennessee	260	3-1	23
22	Florida	235	3-1	25
23	Missouri	197	4-0	NR
24	Kansas	132	4-0	NR
25	Fresno State	64	4-0	NR

Others receiving votes: Kansas St. 57, Kentucky 41, Colorado 32, Louisville 32, UCLA 28, Maryland 20, TCU 17, Tulane 11, Syracuse 8, Wisconsin 6, Air Force 6, Clemson 5, Texas A&M 5.