No. 10 Vanderbilt clashes with No. 15 Missouri this Saturday in one of the most highly-anticipated matchups of the season (an unlikely thought heading into the season).

The fate of these two team’s College Football Playoff hopes lies in the result of Saturday’s SEC battle. Vanderbilt has cracked the top 10 for the first time since 1947, showcasing the resiliency of the program and how patience pays off for the fans.

Missouri, meanwhile, is having one of their best seasons in recent memory, and are looking to finally become a force to be reckoned with in the SEC. However, after a loss against Alabama and a 2OT win against Auburn, questions are starting to arise.

Vanderbilt has a particularly potent offense, but the defense has struggled. That was particularly evident against LSU, when the Tigers scored their most points against an FBS opponent this season. Missouri is a much stronger offensive team than LSU. In fact, they have one of the deadliest offenses in the country. On the flip side of that, the defense will need to put up a better performance than last week against Auburn to win.

Forcing pressure and creating turnovers are going to be two of the biggest keys to success for this Tigers defense.

Missouri runs more plays per game than anyone in the country, but Missouri’s actual run game has been trending in the wrong direction in its last couple of games. Running back Ahmad Hardy had season lows in the Tigers’ past 2 games, not even cracking 60 total rushing yards.

The #10 Commodores head into Saturday’s game favored over the No. 15 Tigers by 2.5 points. Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea and his team have been gaining a ton of national recognition over their recent historic run.