Missouri heads to Fayetteville this weekend with plenty on the line. The No. 23 Tigers face Arkansas on Saturday night, looking to bounce back from a 31-3 loss to Ole Miss and keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.

At 5-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play, Missouri still has opportunities to make a serious run. But the margin for error is shrinking. The Tigers have already lost twice on the road against conference opponents, and their remaining schedule includes a home game against Texas and a trip to face Georgia.

That makes Saturday’s trip to Arkansas especially important. Missouri needs to get back in the win column, but it also needs some help around the SEC. Several games involving teams ahead of or tied with the Tigers could reshape the conference standings and strengthen Missouri’s case for the playoff.

Here’s who Mizzou fans should be rooting for this weekend — and why.

1. Auburn over Ole Miss

Root for Auburn on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. ET.

This is one of the most important games for Missouri fans to watch, even though the Tigers won’t be on the field until that evening.

Ole Miss handed Missouri a convincing loss two weeks ago, and the Rebels are still in the thick of the SEC race. After falling to Texas, Ole Miss entered Week 9 at 5-2 overall and 3-2 in conference play. Another SEC loss would make it harder for the Rebels to stay near the top of the standings.

That’s exactly what Missouri needs.

The Tigers are currently 2-2 in conference play, so catching the teams above them requires winning their own games and hoping those teams stumble. An Auburn upset would give Ole Miss its third SEC loss and create more separation between Missouri and one of the teams ahead of it.

There’s no guarantee that one loss will knock Ole Miss out of the playoff picture. But with the SEC race so crowded, every conference defeat matters.

The ideal result: Auburn pulls off the upset, Missouri beats Arkansas, and the Tigers head into next weekend with a chance to make up ground.

2. Florida over Georgia

Root for Florida on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

This is a big one for Missouri’s SEC championship hopes. Georgia entered the weekend at 6-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play, putting the Bulldogs near the top of the SEC standings. Florida is 5-2 overall and 3-2 in conference play, so the Gators have plenty to play for themselves.

From Missouri’s perspective, the rooting interest is simple: Georgia needs to lose.

The Tigers still have a road game against Georgia on November 14, so they will have a chance to take care of that matchup themselves. But Georgia is one of the teams Missouri needs to catch, and another conference loss would make the Bulldogs more vulnerable in the race for the SEC Championship Game.

A Florida win wouldn’t suddenly put Missouri in control of its own destiny, but it would make the standings more manageable. The Tigers need to win out to give themselves the best possible chance, and they would benefit from Georgia stumbling before their head-to-head meeting.

Rooting interest: Florida. The Gators might be an awkward team to support, but an upset would give Missouri a much-needed opening in the SEC race.

3. South Carolina over Oklahoma

Root for South Carolina on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. ET.

This is one of the more underrated games on the schedule for Missouri fans.

Oklahoma is 4-3 overall and 2-2 in SEC play, putting the Sooners alongside Missouri and Texas in the conference standings. That means Oklahoma is not just another team Missouri is watching from a distance. It’s a direct competitor for position in a crowded SEC race.

A South Carolina win would push Oklahoma below Missouri in the conference standings and give the Tigers a little more room to maneuver. South Carolina is 2-3 in SEC play, so the Gamecocks are already behind the main contenders.

The key is that Missouri needs to worry about the teams that are currently tied with or ahead of it. Oklahoma taking another loss would help, particularly with the Tigers still having a November matchup against Texas and a difficult trip to Georgia.

This isn’t the biggest game of the weekend, but it’s the kind of result that can matter when the conference standings are tight in November.

Rooting interest: South Carolina. An upset in Norman would be a useful result for Missouri’s SEC and playoff hopes.

4. Mississippi State over Texas

Root for Mississippi State on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

If Missouri fans watch only one game outside their own matchup after the afternoon slate, this should be it.

Texas entered the weekend at 5-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play, putting the Longhorns in the same conference position as Missouri. The two teams are scheduled to meet in Columbia on November 7, so this weekend’s result could help set the stage for a massive matchup next Saturday.

Missouri needs Texas to lose.

A Mississippi State upset would give the Longhorns a third SEC defeat and put Missouri in position to move ahead of them with a win over Arkansas. It would also give the Tigers an opportunity to make their November 7 matchup even more meaningful: instead of simply trying to keep pace with Texas, Missouri could have a chance to create separation.

Texas is heavily favored, so this is a tough result to get. But the Tigers don’t need to worry about the odds when they’re scoreboard-watching. They need to root for the outcome that helps them most.

Rooting interest: Mississippi State. This is arguably the most important upset for Missouri’s playoff chances because Texas is both a conference competitor and an upcoming opponent.

5. Minnesota over Indiana

Root for Minnesota on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Missouri’s playoff push isn’t limited to the SEC standings. The Tigers also need to keep an eye on the national picture, particularly teams from other conferences that could compete for at-large playoff spots.

Indiana is ranked No. 4 in the AP Top 25 and has been one of the country’s top teams. A loss to Minnesota would damage the Hoosiers’ résumé and potentially open some room for other teams to climb in the national rankings.

Missouri’s path is still much more straightforward if it can win enough games to make a serious case for an at-large bid or push toward the SEC title game. But if the Tigers finish with a strong record, losses by other highly ranked teams could help them in the selection process.

This game isn’t as important as Texas or Georgia losing, but it’s worth keeping on the radar.

Rooting interest: Minnesota. An upset would add some chaos to the national playoff picture, which could benefit Missouri if it takes care of its own schedule.

The perfect weekend for Missouri

Here’s the scoreboard-watching checklist for Tigers fans:

• Missouri beats Arkansas: The most important result. The Tigers need to respond after the Ole Miss loss and improve to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in SEC play.
• Auburn beats Ole Miss: The Rebels take another conference loss and become easier to catch.
• Florida beats Georgia: The Bulldogs lose ground near the top of the SEC standings.
• South Carolina beats Oklahoma: A direct conference competitor falls behind Missouri.
• Mississippi State beats Texas: The Longhorns take another SEC loss before next week’s matchup with the Tigers.
• Minnesota beats Indiana: A highly ranked national contender takes a loss that could shake up the playoff picture.

The four SEC games are the priority. Those results would help Missouri’s conference position, which is the most realistic way for the Tigers to strengthen their playoff case.

Missouri’s playoff push starts in Fayetteville

The Tigers have a lot of work left to do. At 5-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play, Missouri can’t afford another disappointing performance, especially with Texas and Georgia waiting in the next two weeks.

The Arkansas game is a chance to reset. Missouri has won nine of the last 10 meetings with the Razorbacks, and Arkansas enters the matchup at 3-4 overall and 1-3 in conference play. But the Razorbacks are coming off a 31-21 win over Vanderbilt, so this isn’t a game the Tigers can take lightly.

Missouri also needs to address the issues that showed up against Ole Miss. The Tigers struggled to finish drives, and their red-zone inefficiency has been a concern. Against Arkansas, they need to turn scoring opportunities into touchdowns and avoid letting a game they should win become a fourth-quarter fight.

A win would put Missouri at 6-2 overall and 3-2 in SEC play, setting up a massive home game against Texas on November 7. Win that one, and the Tigers could start building real momentum heading into the final stretch.

The bottom line: Missouri needs to beat Arkansas first. After that, root for Mississippi State, Florida, Auburn and South Carolina. Those results would give the Tigers the best chance to gain ground in the SEC race. Minnesota over Indiana would be a bonus for the national playoff picture.

The Tigers still have a path, but there isn’t much room left for mistakes. Saturday needs to be the start of a response — and a little help around the SEC could make the next few weeks a lot more interesting.