Eye of the Tiger, Week 3: Georgia Avoids Disaster, Tennessee Jumps Missouri

Breaking down the impact the rest of the college football games will have on the Missouri Tigers in week 3.

Sep 14, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) throws a pass against the Boston College Eagles during the second half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

After a narrow 27-21 victory over now unranked Boston College, the Missouri Tigers stayed pretty close to steady in the polls. Most teams in the AP Top 25 stayed about where they were the week prior as well.

Not much was learned about the other teams in the top-25, but two SEC teams showed some clear weaknesses in two bad losses. The now No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs also struggled to hold off the Kentucky Wildcats on the road.

Even with a home win against the Eagles, the Tigers dropped a spot to No. 7 overall, with the Tennessee Volunteers moving into Missouri's spot from last week.

The Eye of the Tiger Series breaks down the rest of the college football schedule week to week to analyze how certain outcomes could affect Missouri.

Week 3 Results for Missouri's Future Opponents

Vanderbilt: 36-32 loss to Georgia State
No. 25 Texas A&M: 33-20 win over Florida
UMass: 34-3 loss to Buffalo
Auburn: 45-19 win over New Mexico
No. 4 Alabama: 42-10 win over Wisconsin
No. 15 Oklahoma: 34-19 win over Tulane
South Carolina: 36-33 loss to No. 16 LSU
Mississippi State: 41-17 loss to Toledo
Arkansas: 37-27 loss to UAB

It was another not-great week for the SEC. The top of the conference didn't skip a beat, minus Georgia. Oklahoma and Alabama looked better than last week and LSU came from behind to take down South Carolina. Two teams towards the bottom of the confence, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, fell victim to upsets that could derail a season. The Bulldogs lost by more than 20 points to Toledo and Vanderbilt lost by one score to Georgia State. Both of those teams appear on Missouri's schedule, as the Tigers host Vanderbilt in week four.

Alabama looked like Alabama, with quarterback Jalen Milroe starting to establish a connection with receivers Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard. The two receivers combined for 133 yards on only seven receptions. Milroe also looked to be his usual self on the ground, posting 75 rushing yards and two-ground touchdowns. When the Tigers take their trip to Tuscaloosa, they should absolutely expect their most daunting task of the season. Even with a new head coach in Kalen DeBoer, the Crimson Tide still have a high-powered offense with weapons at every position, with plenty of defensive talent that can pressure a quarterback and stop the run.

After struggling the week prior, the Sooners also looked to get back on track. Linebacker Danny Stutsman led their defensive unit with 12 tackles, shutting down the Green Wave offense. Quarterback Jackson Arnold still has yet to get into a pure rhythm throwing the ball, which might be something to monitor. He did throw 169 yards and a touchdown, but his interception dragged that performance down a little. Arnold, however, excelled in the running game, recording 97 rushing yards and two touchdowns to tag along.

Georgia walked out of Lexington with a 13-12 win on the night of September 14, but it sure wasn't pretty. Kentucky was just disruptive enough on defense to give quarterback Caron Beck and company fits. Their quarterback, Brock Vandagriff, didn't have his best performance either. Former Missouri receiver Dominic Lovett led all receivers with six receptions for 89 yards, but the only touchdown of the game came on a three-yard run up the gut from running back Branson Robinson. A Bulldog loss would have flipped the SEC on it's head, opening the conference up for teams like Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Missouri.

Week 3 Results for Missouri's AP Poll Neighbors:

No. 5 Ole Miss: 40-6 win over Wake Forest
No. 7 Tennessee: 71-0 win over Kent State
No. 9 Oregon: 49-14 win over Oregon State
No. 10 Miami: 62-0 win over Ball State

No teams surrounding the Tigers looked bad in their week three matchups and majority of their games resulted in a blowout. Ole Miss and Tennessee, the Tigers SEC companions who they won't face, are more than certainly going to make a run at the playoffs. Both have explosive offensive attacks with talented quarterbacks to lead them. Jaxson Dart and Nico Iamaleava haven't shown any signs of slowing down, either.

In an unrelated manner, the Arizona Wildcats were the only other team to lose, outside of Boston College, in the top-25. The Wildcats looked lost against Kansas State, who improved to 3-0 and moved up to No. 13 in the country thanks to the quarterback play of Avery Johnson. His dynamic ability on the ground is a spark for the Kansas State offense. Johnson's athletic ability is one that not many quarterbacks in the country have and will help them get a leg up on opponents, especially in the Big 12.

Read more Missouri Tigers news:

How to Watch: Vanderbilt at No. 7 Missouri

Where Missouri Football Ranks After Week 3

Burden Recognizes Need to 'Cut Nonsense Out' After Standout Performance