2025 Missouri State Football Predictions: Bears Ranked 123rd in RJ Young's Ultimate 136
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Aug. 10, 2025 9:42 p.m. ET
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This isn't your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it's my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
Who do I think is good?
Why do I think they're good?
What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Missouri State lands in my Ultimate 136.
Team ranking: No. 123
Last year's ranking: N/A
Top player: RB Shomari Lawrence: Has rushed for 1,500 yards and 9 TDs in his last four collegiate seasons (South Dakota and FIU).
[ Missouri State's 2025 schedule ]
RJ's take: Like Delaware, the Bears have reclassified to Big Boy football in C-USA. They aren't as put-together as the Blue Hens are — or were in 2024 — but they've got a QB who could make them a credible, if bothersome, opponent in Year 1.
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6-foot-5 QB Jacob Clark threw for 3,604 yards and 26 TDs in 2024. And he's got a couple of wide outs who look like they could do some damage in James BlackStrain and Jmariyae Robinson. The duo combined for 62 catches and 953 yards last season.
[ Check out RJ Young's Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here ]
Missouri State Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (-110) Under 4.5 (-110)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school's rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young , and I'll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
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