The Oklahoma Sooners take on the Missouri Tigers for the 97th time in a history that dates back to 1902. The Sooners are 67-25-4 all-time against the Tigers, but that will have no bearing on this game.

Neither the Sooners nor the Tigers are meeting preseason expectations. Oklahoma was once a top 15 team but hasn’t been ranked in weeks. The Tigers inched inside the top 10 but are hanging onto their place in the top 25 by a thread.

Missouri is 6-2 on the season but just 2-2 in SEC play, with blowout losses to Texas A&M and Alabama. While they are two of the best teams in the conference, the Tigers’ offense struggled against two really good defenses.

Oklahoma’s offense has struggled as well, leading to a coordinator change and multiple quarterback changes throughout the season. However, after a strong first half performance against Ole Miss, an efficient performance against Maine, and the probable return of a pair of key weapons, there’s hope the Sooners are trending in a positive direction on offense. They’ve got a defense good enough to win, just need the offense to carry their weight.

Can the Oklahoma Sooners pick up their sixth win of the season and secure bowl eligibility? Let’s take a look at this week’s Sooners Wire Staff Predictions.

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions for Oklahoma at Missouri

This game comes down to the health of Missouri quarterback Brady Cook, in my opinion. If he’s good to go, the Tigers have enough offense and overall talent to put too many points on the board for Oklahoma to keep up. But if he’s can’t go, or is severely limited, Mizzou’s offense may look closer to what it did against Alabama.

I’ll go with the latter. OU will be without their top two offensive tackles again this week, but the running game does just enough against a struggling Missouri defense. The defense will have to be opportunistic and win the key moments.

If the Sooners get a solid outing from Jackson Arnold, don’t give up the big plays defensively, and win the turnover battle, they’ll get to bowl eligibility.

Oklahoma 21, Missouri 17

Contact/Follow Aaron Gelvin

Up Next: More Predictions for Oklahoma vs. Missouri

Racist text messages received this week primarily by Black students nationwide — including in Missouri — are under investigation by federal authorities.

The FBI said in a statement issued Thursday it “is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on the matter.”

Locally, groups have condemned the attacks, and college campuses are looking into the source of the messages.

The texts, which tell recipients they were “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation,” have been posted on forums online as far back as Wednesday afternoon. Students have reported receiving the texts at several universities around the state. 

Thursday morning, the 17-year-old son of St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones received the viral message, which the mayor’s father posted online.

Nimrod Chapel Jr., president of the Missouri State Conference of the NAACP, called for law enforcement and schools to take action.

“This is terrorism plain and simple. It points to a well-organized and resourced group that has decided to target Americans on our home soil based on the color of our skin,” he said in a statement after Missouri State University students reported receiving the texts. “The schools that were targeted and law enforcement need to take these reports seriously and act quickly to prevent the escalation to physical violence.”

The University of Missouri-Columbia is also aware of students on its campus receiving the messages.

“​​We are actively investigating the matter and working to identify the source of these messages,” said Christopher Ave, the university’s spokesman. “We are also aware that similar texts have been reported at universities nationwide. Based on the information currently available, there is no indication of a credible threat to the safety of members of the MU community.” 

Attorneys general in other states, such as Louisiana and North Carolina, have launched state investigations. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has not spoken publicly about the issue.