As good as Mizzou football has been in 2025, it's no doubt that they haven't played the best of competition thus far.
That all changes this Saturday morning, when they take on one of the most consistently-dominate teams in the country, in the Crimson Tide.
The Tigers have been outscored by over 100 points in the five matchups agaisnt Alabama, since joining the SEC Conference over a decade ago. It's safe to say head coach Eliah Drinkwitz is preparing for his team to change that this weekend.
The game is huge for both sides, with Mizzou desperate to prove to haters that they can beat legitimate contenders. Meanwhile another loss for Alabama might end their hopes of a College Football Playoff run sooner than expected.
With the Tigers coming off a bye-week, the Crimson Tide come into the contest with all of the momentum, taking down what was then No. 16 Vanderbilt, a statement in-conference win for the program.
A win this weekend would likely be the best of Drinkwitz's career, and he'll do everything in his power to get one.
But to get there, there's a couple things this squad needs to make sure they accomplish first, starting with the offensive line.
It's no secret that the running back duo of Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts can do just fine on their own, but a little help from the five men up front never hurt.
The team lost some of their biggest starters prior to August's season kickoff, and since then, they've struggled against some subpar defensive fronts, which should worry Drinkwitz, heading into a matchup versus a top-ten defense, both agaisnt the pass and the run.
It's currently unknown if their best lineman, left tackle Cayden Green, will be able to go come Saturday morning. He's been out since mid-September with a foot injury, and though it was initially thought of as a minor injury, further testing proved that wrong, and he hasn't played in nearly a month.
Without him, other lineman such as Keegan Trost and Dominick Giudice will need to step up their play, specifically against senior LT Overton, who already has a pair of sacks on the young season.
With strong offensive line play, not only will Hardy and Roberts easily be able to get going, taking over the contest as they do most weeks, but quarterback Beau Pribula will get enough time to make his reads, getting him into a strong offensive flow early.
On the other side of the ball, the position group that's struggled the most is definitely the secondary.
Even with strong veterans like Toriano Pride Jr., and the addition of transfers such as Nick DeLoach, the unit has had issues with miscommunications and explosive plays.
While that may slide in matchups versus inferior squads, it won't agaisnt top programs like Alabama. SEC Conference games are very physical and very intense, and it's important they find a way to mitigate big plays down the field.
If the Tigers defensive backs can stop the deep passing game from Ty Simpson and recievers Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams, they can take over the game early on.
The keys to this game are very simple; get the run game going early, and limit the deep plays. From there, as long as they don't hurt themselves with turnovers and penalties, they can be ready to silence the doubters come Saturday afternoon.