The Matchup: Missouri (3-1) at No. 13 South Carolina (3-1, 1-1)
The Venue: Williams-Brice Stadium
The Kick: 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN

Series record: 2-2

Last meeting: Maty Mauk and Dylan Thompson squared off in a battle of backup quarterbacks. The Tigers secured a 17-point lead, but former South Carolina starter Connor Shaw, ailing, talked his way into the game and engineered a comeback. Missouri lost, 27-24, in double overtime when Andrew Baggett missed a 24-yard field goal. It was the only loss of the regular season for Mizzou.

Coaches: Gary Pinkel (178-101-3 overall), Steve Spurrier (222-80-2 overall).

Last game (Missouri): The Tigers face-planted against Indiana as a two-touchdown favorite. The offensive line imploded, injuries eroded the team’s depth and the defense got out of place too many times on screens and runs to the edges.

Last game (South Carolina): The Gamecocks managed to put away Vanderbilt late despite giving up two kickoff returns for touchdowns to Darrius Sims. “We’ve all seen good football teams. We ain’t one,” Spurrier said after the game.

Missouri wins if: The restructured offensive line opens up an occasional crease for the running backs and prevents Maty Mauk from running for his life the entire game. DE Markus Golden (hamstring) returns. The defense starts a new turnover streak.

South Carolina wins if: The defensive line can cause disruption. (Any sort of disruption will do, really. Your job isn’t to be church-mouse quiet.) The secondary shades a safety to Bud Sasser at all times. The Gamecocks finish with a plus turnover margin.

What it means if Missouri wins: The SEC East remains saturated in chaos. Gary Pinkel remains in play as one of the nation’s most underrated coaches and talent developers. The Gamecocks played over their heads against Georgia and may not even be a Top 25 team. Missouri’s ceiling is elevated to 10 wins.

What it means if South Carolina wins: The Gamecocks are 4-1 with a loss to a Top 10 team and wins against three programs ranked in the Top 25 at some point this season. Maybe it hasn’t been pretty, but Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina team is the co-favorite in a two-team SEC East race, and it already has beaten the competition.