Missouri Tigers vs. Vanderbilt Commordores: 5 things to know as winless SEC teams clash

The Missouri football team has had a week to regroup.

Good thing. The Tigers (2-4) are coming off a stretch of three straight SEC losses by a total of just 14 points.

Given an extra week to re-calibrate thanks to the Tigers’ scheduled off-week following a 24-17 loss at Florida on Oct. 8, Mizzou’s a big betting favorite Saturday at home against Vanderbilt.

Here are some key details about the game and five finer points you should know about this year’s Mizzou-Vandy matchup:

The details

Kickoff: 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: Faurot Field, Columbia

TV: SEC Network

Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)

Betting line: Missouri by 15 1/2

Five things to know

1. Win the bye week: Mizzou’s open date came at precisely the halfway point of the season. MU coach Eli Drinkwitz and staff had a few additional days to evaluate progress and consider personnel changes, starting at quarterback. Brady Cook likely remains the starter, but perhaps it’s time to get touted true freshman Sam Horn some snaps.

2. Meeting of the SEC winless: Twelve SEC teams have at least one league victory. Missouri and Vanderbilt do not. The Tigers have played better in conference games but don’t have a victory to show for it. The teams’ common opponent to this point? Georgia. The Bulldogs didn’t take their first lead over Mizzou until 4 1/2 minutes remained in the contest. Vandy is coming off a 55-0 loss to UGA. And second-year Commodores coach Clark Lea is still seeking the first SEC victory of his career. He’s 0-11 against conference foes thus far.

3. Vandy less than dandy: The Commodores had a good first month of the season, going 3-1 in nonconference games. Their lone loss was to ranked Wake Forest. But SEC play has been a disaster for Vanderbilt. The league did Vandy no favors by having the Commodores open with Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. All are ranked in the AP top 10 this week, and each scored at least 50 points against Lea’s team.

4. Bowl goals intact: Both teams are disappointed with their records to date, but a bowl appearance remains a possibility for each. If Vandy wins Saturday, it will still need to find two more victories to become bowl-eligible. Missouri needs four more wins to qualify, and this game has to be one of them. Both teams enter this game on three-game losing streaks.

5. Tigers lead series: The Tigers are 7-2 against Vanderbilt as members of the SEC and 4-0 against Vandy in Columbia. Missouri won their previous meeting at Faurot Field, in 2020, by a score of 41-0. Vanderbilt’s two victories over MU, in 2015 and 2019, came in the final years of MU coaches Gary Pinkel and Barry Odom, respectively.