Missouri Tigers football vs. Vanderbilt Commodores: Preview, TV, line, kickoff time
The Missouri Tigers saw their schedule change at nearly the last minute. Instead of facing the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday in an intriguing rivalry game, Mizzou instead will face a winless Vanderbilt Commodores team it was supposed to play earlier this season.
That’s the SEC’s newest rule at work. The league announced it could reschedule games affected by COVID-19, all in the hopes of every team playing a full 10 game schedule. Well, the Hogs were dealing with coronavirus protocols, which prompted the shuffling.
Mizzou has arguably been the team hit with the most chaos this season with one schedule change after another. But now the Tigers (3-3) get the easiest game on their schedule.
THE DETAILS
Kickoff: 11 a.m. Saturday
Where: Memorial Stadium, Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network
Betting line: Missouri by 20
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
FIVE THINGS
- Schedule flips. Mizzou was originally supposed to play Vanderbilt on Oct. 17, but that game had to be postponed tentatively to Dec. 12 because of COVID-19 protocols within the ‘Dores program. Now this SEC East matchup gets a third date, Saturday, as the two teams finally square off.
- Winnable game. The Tigers won’t see an easier opponent on their SEC-only schedule this season. Vandy (0-7) hasn’t been exactly competitive in seven losses, though there were three one-possession games. That doesn’t mean much as the Commodores’ lone win last season was against, yes, a No. 22-ranked Mizzou team that was upset on the road.
- Fighting for his job? Vandy coach Derek Mason faces a road unlike any other in the SEC, where athletics just doesn’t reign supreme at his current post. But there were still murmurs of his job security last year, and those talks have continued as the ‘Dores haven’t picked up a win. They’ve battled COVID-19 and injury issues like any other team, but Vandy’s still trying to right its ship.
- What about MU’s roster? The Tigers actually dipped below the 53-man SEC player threshold in their game against South Carolina, suiting up 52 scholarship players. But MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz said they owed his team an actual game, going on to beat the Gamecocks 17-10. While Mizzou expects to get more bodies back this week, stay cautious. It only takes one COVID-19 test and subsequent protocols to put MU back in a numbers game.
- Heavy favorites. Mizzou opened its 2020 season as underdogs in its first five games. Now the Tigers are betting favorites in the back-to-back games. And this time, they’re projected to dominate a ‘Dores program. Vandy has been adequate against the spread, though. Of course, the final result is all that really matters.