Mizzou Watching Guide During Bye Week: 3 Impactful Matchups

Just because they aren't playing doesn't mean the Tigers don't have some stake in games across the country.

Sep 21, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; The Missouri Tigers student section watches as Vanderbilt Commodores place kicker Brock Taylor (not pictured) misses a field goal to end the game during overtime at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

It's an off week for the Missouri Tigers, arguably a much-needed one. As the Tigers take a week to prepare and recover for their road-opening matchup against Texas A&M, a majority of the conference will be active.

Everyone remaining on the Tigers schedule, besides South Carolina, is in action for Week 5 of college football. All of those matchups will hold some sort of weight on the rest of Missouri's season, giving Tiger fans a reason to watch a weekend full of fun college football matchups.

Here are three matchups Tiger fans should have an eye on this weekend in the college football world.

No. 2 Georgia at No. 4 Alabama

Looking at the Tigers' schedule before the season started, you could highlight their matchup with the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide on October 26 as the toughest game of the regular season. Nothing has changed, but the Crimson Tide have bigger issues to worry about this week.

Staying home in Tuscaloosa, the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs come to town. The biggest implication from this game? If Alabama walks away with a win, they have a good chance of being the No. 1 team in the country when the Tigers come to town four weeks later. There's no predicting what Missouri does the three weeks in between, but an important game looms for both teams.

For the average college football enjoyer, this is a classic matchup with two talented offenses and high-powered defenses. An entertaining quarterback matchup between Georgia's Carson Beck and Alabama's Jalen Milroe will be the main focus of both offenses and the health of Georgia's Mykel Williams the focus on defense.

Arkansas vs No. 24 Texas A&M

The Aggies in College Station are the next matchup on the list for the Tigers after their bye week. Even with their quarterback issues, Texas A&M has pulled out three wins after a Week 1 loss to Notre Dame.

Redshirt freshman Marcel Reed has taken the reigns at the quarterback spot with Conner Weigman injured and struggling. Reed has thrown for 422 yards on 32 completions, with four touchdowns and no turnovers yet. Weigman turned the ball over twice in his first two games, but did have to deal with the Notre Dame defense.

The Razorbacks run defense should pose an interesting threat to the Aggie ground game, featuring the three-headed monster of Le'Veon Moss, Amari Daniels and E.J. Smith. Arkansas defensive ends Landon Jackson and Quincy Rhodes have taken the lead on the Razorback run defense, with support in the secondary from safety TJ Metcalf and cornerback Kee'yon Stewart.

Both Arkansas and Texas A&M present interesting threats at different points in the season for Missouri.

No. 21 Oklahoma at Auburn

The Sooners suffered their first loss of the season in week four at the hands of Tennessee and now have to follow it up on the road against Auburn. Both teams have seen their fair share of struggles early on and could use a victory.

Like the previously mentioned matchup, the Tigers and Sooners both appear on Missouri's schedule down the road. Both are home games and will be critical in their hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff. Auburn and Oklahoma have also seen struggles at the quarterback spot, both having benched their initial starters up until this point.

The Sooners have a talented group of receivers, featuring Nic Anderson, Deion Burks, Jaquaize Pettaway and Brenen Thompson, among others. Anderson has yet to see the field struggling with injury, but presents himself as their leading receiver when healthy.

Auburn also presents a trio of young freshman receivers, all of which have made an impact on the Tiger offense. Cam Coleman, Malcolm Simmons and Perry Thompson all have over 100 yards on the season, none of which are the leading receiver. Running back Jarquez Hunter is the sixth leading rusher in the SEC as well, tagging along two touchdowns.

Others to monitor

An opponent down the line for the Tigers, the Mississippi State Bulldogs, travel to Austin, Texas to face the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns. The Bulldogs sit at 1-3 on the year and look like a bottom team in the SEC. Missouri will travel to Mississippi State in late November and things can change, but without starting quarterback Blake Shapen and being forced to start a true freshman, the outlook on their season is starting to decline.

The UMass Minutemen also play this weekend, taking on the Miami (OH) Redhawks on the road. The Minutemen sit at 1-3 on the year as well and should be an easy victory for the Tigers in Week 7. Crazier things have happened, but nothing UMass has done so far this season has showed that Missouri won't easily handle business against the MInutemen.

Read More Missouri Tigers News

Why the Mizzou Offense Will Improve After Early Struggles - The Extra Point
Mizzou's Eli Drinkwitz Silences Early-Season Doubts on Brady Cook
Mizzou Athletics Receives $25 Million Donation for Stadium Project