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. Kalen DeBoer was asked how Alabama must prepare for a trap game. His simple answer dismissed the trap game premise, "They're 5-0. They're a ranked team." DeBoer also said, "We have a really good team coming off a bye week. We have an 11 o'clock kickoff on the road. We have to be ready to roll."
Missouri is 0-5 against the Alabama Crimson Tide since the Tigers joined the SEC. Going back to 1968, the teams have played eight times. Alabama has won the last six.
Missouri Challenges to the Alabama Crimson Tide
DeBoer and his staff know well that Missouri will present a challenge to the Crimson Tide. The Tigers run well and are good at defending opponents' ground attacks. As a result, they chew up the clock and limit their opponent's possessions. Until the Vanderbilt game, Alabama had been vulnerable against strong rushing offenses. The Crimson Tide cannot afford to regress against Missouri.
There is a simpler reason why Saturday should not be a trap game for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Since beating Wisconsin in Madison a year ago, the Crimson Tide has lost five games when not playing in Tuscaloosa. The Tide's two road wins over LSU last season and Georgia this season don't erase the fact that Alabama has been a bad road team under DeBoer.
Two things can be true for Saturday. Alabama knows every SEC road game is a challenge. Alabama Crimson Tide players will be confident about a victory. Neither perspective makes the game a trap.