In a season with Something To Prove, the Missouri Tigers are doing just that. Coach Eli Drinkwitz has his Tigers sitting at 6-1 (2-1 SEC) heading into week 9, with a major road test ahead. This match up is more than two teams ranked. It is more than the best game of the week being played. It is more than making their first appearance on College Gameday in over a decade. We have the most pivotal turning point of the 2025 season for either team. The winner this Saturday takes a giant step forward and established themselves as a true playoff contender and SEC threat. The loser will find themselves with a mountain to climb with their remaining schedules. But above all, what makes this match up so intriguing is just how much these teams mirror each other. Mizzou and Vanderbilt are about to play one of the closest games of the year.
Both teams sit with the exact same record and in conference play. Both started the year unranked and disrespected. Both have climbed week after week defining the odds and expectations to be in the top 15. Meanwhile their only losses come to the hottest team in College Football being the Alabama Crimson Tide. With face value, the two identities are twins. You see dynamic offenses with duel threat QBs, RBs with explosive acceleration, and defenses that put relentless pressure on opposing QBs. Vandy has their star player in Diego Pavia that is taking the Colle3ge Football world by storm. Mizzou has the best RB in the entire country in Ahmad Hardy who is legitimately unstoppable after contact. While the face value displays the same brand of football from both teams, the backside of games is also showing mirroring evidence.
Team statics for the 2025 season have been very close between the two teams. Rushing defense, Mizzou is ranked 7th, Vandy is 12th. Rushing offense, Mizzou is ranked 7th, Vandy is 20th. 3rd down percentage completion rate, Mizzou is ranked 5th while Vandy is 2nd in the country. Passing completion rate, Mizzou is 11th, Vandy is 20th. The two teams have proven they belong in the top 15 and the statistics back it up. So given how these teams mirror one another, who gets the advantage to win? Mizzou is dominate on 4th down if push came to shove. But what should help them is disciplined football. Mizzou has managed their penalties while Vandy has not. This can help keep Mizzou out of many 3rd and 4th down situations, while also creeping them closer to the red zone which Mizzou excels at. The clear advantage of owning the opportunity on both sides of the ball in the red zone will determine the victor this Saturday. But given the media hype, narratives forming, legit playoff implications starting to shape.......this outcome might as well be a coin flip. Lets find out which team takes the next step and proves they are not of equal.