No. 24 Missouri (7-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) at No. 23 South Carolina (6-3, 4-3), Saturday, 4:15 p.m. EST (SEC Network)
BetMGM College Football Odds: South Carolina by 12 1/2.
Series record: Missouri leads 9-5.
What’s at stake?
South Carolina’s continued rise in the SEC against Missouri’s last-ditch effort to make the College Football Playoff. Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz said flatly this week that any 10-2 SEC team should earn a spot in the 12-team playoff field. But the Gamecocks are one of the hottest teams in the league right now and can have just their second winning SEC record in the past 11 seasons with a victory.
Key matchup
Missouri QB Drew Pyne vs. South Carolina’s defensive front. It looks like Pyne will start for the Tigers with Brady Cook’s status in limbo due to hand injury much of the week. Pyne has played in six games with three TDs and three interceptions. The Gamecocks are second in the SEC with 33 sacks.
Players to watch
Missouri: WR Luther Burden III is the Tigers leading receiver with 45 catches for 505 yards. But he has not had a touchdown catch since Week 4 against Vanderbilt.
South Carolina: DE Kyle Kennard is tied for the SEC lead with 9.5 sacks and tops the league with 13.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage this season. The Georgia Tech transfer has fueled a defense that’s fourth in fewest points allowed in the SEC this season.
Facts & figures
Missouri has won the past five games in the series. … South Carolina has won two straight over opponents ranked in the Top 25 after losing eight in a row against those teams. … The Tigers have lost starting center and high-round NFL prospect Connor Tollison for the rest of the season with a leg injury. … Gamecocks running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders had his second straight game with 100-or-more yards and third this season. Sanders has had half his 10 rushing TDs in South Carolina’s past three victories. … Drew Pyne bounced back from three interceptions thrown in a loss to Alabama with three TDs in the win over Oklahoma last week. … Missouri and South Carolina are both located in Columbia in their respective states. So the teams play for the Mayor’s Cup each time they meet.
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