What begins on Saturday morning in Columbia, MO, is huge for the Missouri Tigers. The Alabama Crimson Tide is ranked No. 8 in the traditional polls. The Tigers are ranked No. 14. It has been four and a half decades since a Missouri home game has featured two teams ranked in the top 15. How the Tigers respond will define Eli Drinkwitz's program. A win for Missouri would catapult the Tigers to Playoff contention. Beating Alabama would be more meaningful, a claim that Missouri is one of the SEC's top programs.
It is popular this week to define the contest as a trap game for the Alabama Crimson Tide.