Coming off their second bye week at 5-5, Tennessee football visits the Mizzou Tigers. Here is our preview for the Volunteers visit to Columbia, Mo.
It’s a matchup between two teams heading in opposite directions. Tennessee football travels to Columbia to take on the Missouri Tigers Saturday after its second bye week and in the midst of a three-game winning streak and having won four of five games. Mizzou, meanwhile, comes in having lost four straight. Both teams are 5-5.
The winner of Saturday’s matchup will clinch bowl eligibility, while the loser will have to wait a week. That’s not as big of a deal since Missouri visits the Arkansas Razorbacks and UT hosts the Vanderbilt Commodores, the two worst teams in the league, but nothing is a given.
Also, Mizzou lost to Vanderbilt earlier this year, and Rocky Top lost its first two games at home to Group of Five schools. So nothing is a given. Here is everything you need to know about Tennessee football’s visit to Missouri.
Tennessee Volunteers at Missouri Tigers
When: Saturday, Nov.23 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Faurot Field; Columbia, Mo.
TV: SEC Network
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Line: Missouri -3
Over/Under: 46.5
Each of the last two seasons have resulted in 50-17 wins by Missouri. The Tigers have also won five of seven since joining the SEC. Butch Jones was fired as UT head coach the day after his loss to Mizzou in 2017.
Jeremy Pruitt’s second team in Knoxville has been the turnaround story of the year, and should they win today, 8-5 and potentially even a top 25 finish is on the table after a 1-4 start. A winning record in the SEC is also on the table.
Meanwhile, Barry Odom is dealing with a barrage of criticism from fans because of this losing streak, and his team is 0-4 on the road and 5-1 at home this year. Their last outing was their first home loss of the year, falling 23-6 to the Florida Gators.
There are numerous connections in this game. Former Tennessee football head coach Derek Dooley is in his second year as offensive coordinator of Mizzou, and he has struggled recently with Kelly Bryant. At the same time, Jim Chaney is in his first year back as the Vols’ offensive coordinator, and the last time he was there was in 2012, under Dooley.
This all makes for an interesting Saturday. UT could get over .500 for the first time this year, and Missouri could fall under .500 for the first time since the opener. So both teams will likely put it all on the field knowing what their final games are.