Missouri has been one of the hottest teams in the country the past three weeks, torching Idaho, UConn and Florida to improve to 4-5.

Meanwhile, Tennessee is a mess, even after beating Southern Miss last weekend, as fans continue to demand that the school fire coach Butch Jones.

However, Jones will lead the Vols into Columbia to take on Barry Odom’s Tigers, who will be looking to take one more step toward an improbable bowl berth.

Saturday’s game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time on the SEC Network and will have serious bowl implications for both SEC East squads. The winner will get one step closer to six wins, while the loser will lose all margin for error in the quest to qualify for postseason play.

Here are 10 bold predictions for what will happen Saturday night at Faurot Field:

1. Larry Rountree III will have another huge game

Rountree, a true freshman, torched Florida for 83 yards and three touchdowns last weekend, and is hitting his stride as he continues to replace the injured Damarea Crockett.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Rountree go over the 100-yard mark for the first time in his young career against the Vols’ porous run defense.

Tennessee ranks No. 122 in rushing defense, allowing 237.3 yards per contest. Rountree and fellow RB Ish Witter should find plenty of running room on Saturday night.

2. Drew Lock will throw for at least 3 touchdowns

Jones likes to boast about the Vols’ SEC-best pass defense, which is allowing only 150 yards per game.

However, that ignores the fact that teams have been running at will against the Vols and haven’t needed to pass. They also haven’t faced a quarterback like Lock who has thrown for an FBS-best 31 touchdowns through eight games.

Look for Lock to find more success in the air Saturday, even against Tennessee’s statistically sound pass defense.

3. John Kelly will have his best game since Week 1

Kelly put the Vols on his back in Week 1 against Georgia Tech, running for 128 yards and four touchdowns in the double-overtime victory.

Against a porous defense like Mizzou’s (albeit a defense that has been playing better in recent weeks), Kelly should have a field day. Georgia ran for 370 yards but divided its carries against Missouri, the only reason it didn’t produce a 100-yard rusher in that game. Ty Chandler will get some carries, but look for Kelly to get plenty of touches.

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4. Both teams will miss field goals

Aaron Medley and Brent Cimaglia have struggled for the Vols this season, while Mizzou’s Tucker McCann hardly inspires confidence when he lines up for a kick.

The Vols have missed six field goal attempts this season; the Tigers three.

Those struggles aren’t magically going to go away this weekend, so look for both teams to miss a field goal that should be made.

5. Both punters will have a kick downed at the 1

In stark contrast to the struggling kickers, Saturday’s game will feature two of the nation’s best punters in Mizzou’s Corey Fatony and Tennessee’s Trevor Daniel.

Both are masters of pinning opponents deep in their territory, and each takes great pride in his work. In a game where field position will be important, Fatony and Daniel will make things tough on their opponent.

6. Drew Lock will throw another terrible interception

Lock has a habit of starting games with head-scratching throws, tossing inexplicable early interceptions against Idaho and Florida.

He has one of the best arms in the country and is putting up video-game numbers, but for whatever reason, he can’t stay out of his own way early in some of these games. If the Vols want to have a chance to win in Columbia, they’ll have to be ready to pounce on Lock’s early mistakes.

7. Terry Beckner Jr. will have a coming out party

Beckner has shown this year why he was a 5-star recruit in the class of 2015. After tearing each ACL the past two years, Beckner has managed to stay on the field this year and has become a force.

He already has 6 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. If the Tigers are going to win, he’ll need to make big plays against both the run and the pass.

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8. Ty Chandler will score on a kickoff return

Chandler showed two weeks ago against Kentucky that he’s not just a return specialist and has some serious skill in the running game.

However, with Kelly back, Chandler’s biggest contributions will be in the kickoff return department. The Tigers have been vulnerable against top returners this year — they’ve allowed one score and opponents are averaging 22 yards per return. Chandler will likely make a big play.

9. Mizzou will win the time-of-possession battle

The Tigers very nearly had the ball for longer than Florida last weekend, which was a huge surprise, as OC Josh Heupel’s offense is predicated on quick snaps and running a lot of plays.

If the Tigers can continue their positive momentum in the possession game, it will really help them play well. Keeping the ball away from Kelly will be crucial, as the Mizzou defense will struggle to stop him when he does get touches.

10. The loser won’t make a bowl game

The winning team will improve to 5-5, while the loser will fall to 4-6 and lose all margin of error for the last two games of the regular season.

If Mizzou loses, it will have to beat both Vanderbilt and Arkansas on the road. If Tennessee loses, a home game against LSU the following weekend looms large as one that would be incredibly difficult for the Vols to win.

Therefore, Saturday’s game should feature two teams hungry to keep their postseason hopes alive. Though it’s not exactly a marquee matchup like Georgia-Auburn, it should still be a lot of fun to watch.