The Missouri Tigers continue to take the college football landscape by storm. Originally projected to finish sixth in the SEC East, the Tigers now rank No. 5 in the entire country and could see a trip to Atlanta in December in their future. As the rest of the SEC East beat up on each other, the South Carolina Gamecocks look to get back on track and upset the Tigers.
Back in the offseason, this matchup appeared uninteresting until the Tigers emerged as a true threat in the SEC. South Carolina now enters as underdogs as the Gamecocks dropped to No. 20 following a loss to the Tennessee Volunteers last Saturday.
The Tigers season appeared to be in jeopardy when quarterback James Franklin went down with a season-ending shoulder injury. However, Maty Mauk looks to be the second-coming of Johnny Manziel, leading the Tigers to eight scoring drives against the University of Florida. Missouri now has a severely potent offense as the team averages 279 yards through the air each week. They are putting up another 234.4 yards on the ground.
The Tigers are in the driver's seat in the SEC East, somewhere the Gamecocks once expected to be. A loss to the Tigers would knock South Carolina completely out of contention for an SEC Championship. Connor Shaw has been inconsistent at best while dealing with injuries. He last last week's game with a sprained knee. Backup Dylan Thompson is expected to get the start, not helping the Gamecocks' chances this week.
As a replacement, Thompson has faired well in recent years. He led South Carolina to a win over Clemson in 2012. He also stepped in during the Outback Bowl last January to get the Gamecocks a win over Michigan. Steve Spurrier is confident in his abilities to help on the field.
