Missouri Tigers shift date of 2024 football season opener against Murray State

The Missouri Tigers will be among the first national contenders to open the 2024 college football season.

The school announced Tuesday that Mizzou’s season opener, at home against Murray State, will be played on Aug. 29, a Thursday. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. at Faurot Field, broadcast on the SEC Network.

The contest, originally scheduled for Aug. 31, will begin a stretch of four home games to open the season for the Tigers. MU is coming off a Cotton Bowl victory over Ohio State, an 11-2 record and a No. 8 ranking in the final polls.

This will mark the third straight year Missouri has opened at home on the Thursday before Labor Day.

“Holding our season opener on the Thursday night of Labor Day weekend has been huge from an attendance standpoint the last two seasons,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said in a statement, “and it has helped us create a big-time atmosphere from our fans and student section.”

Four college games are scheduled for Aug. 24. Florida State at Georgia Tech is the headliner. Missouri will be the first SEC team to see action.

Missouri’s home opponents in 2024 are Murray State, Buffalo, Boston College, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

On the road, Mizzou will play Texas A&M, Massachusetts, Alabama, South Carolina and Mississippi State