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Alabama and Missouri will both enter their Week 9 showdown in Tuscaloosa in not-so-great moods.
For the Crimson Tide, Week 8 was an utter nightmare, as they fell, 24-17, at Tennessee in a game that Alabama had taken the lead in early in the 4th quarter before the Volunteers stormed back and beat the Crimson Tide for the 2nd straight time in Knoxville. The loss dropped Alabama to 5-2 and seriously damaged its College Football Playoff chances.
For the Tigers, yes, they won on Saturday. But it took outscoring lowly Auburn 15-0 in the 4th quarter to escape at home with a 21-17 victory. Missouri has been treading on thin ice in recent weeks and Week 8 was no different, but the Tigers managed to improve to 6-1 with yet another tight victory.
Now, Alabama will host Mizzou in Week 9, with both teams looking for a better performance. On Sunday morning, the kickoff time and TV designation was announced for the SEC battle, with the game beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
https://twitter.com/AlabamaFTBL/status/1848002196454945094
The fact that the game is still in the popular 3:30 ABC window tells you that these teams still matter a lot as we head into the 2nd half of the season.
An early look at ESPN’s matchup predictor for the game has Alabama with an 82.3% chance to take care of business at home, despite its recent struggles.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
