College Football Game of the Week: No. 12 Missouri vs. No. 2 Georgia

26-22, that was the final score of this game last year, when the then No. 1-ranked University of Georgia football team went to Columbia, Missouri, to take on the then unranked (2-2 at the time) Missouri Tigers.

What many thought would be a blowout turned into one of the best games of the season, one that Georgia needed to go on a 14-0 run with 14 minutes left in the game to win.

This year, the matchup looks a little different. This game is in Athens, Georgia, and the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs will get to host the No. 12-ranked Tigers in Samford Stadium.

Missouri retains their leading rusher, Cody Schrader, and their quarterback, Brady Cook, from last year's battle. Though their leading receiver from last year's battle looks a little different, Dominic Lovett, now plays for Georgia, while Luther Burden III is breaking out, meeting the expectations set for the former five-star.

The Bulldogs don't have Stetson Bennett anymore, nor do they have Kenny McIntosh. Despite not playing since week 7 when he went down with an injury, Brock Bowers is still the team's leading receiver.

The Bulldogs will look like a completely different team since the last time they squared off with the Tigers.

Let’s not forget that Missouri is playing with a chip on their shoulder, they are still in contention for the SEC East. Its lone loss on the season came at the hands of a ranked LSU team. A win for Missouri this weekend puts its destiny in its own hands.

This will be the first real test that Georgia has had all season, with its only ranked opponent so far being the Kentucky Wildcats, and while the Bulldogs handled their business in that game well, that was the first of three straight losses for Kentucky, including a loss to Missouri.

This has the makings of a very good game.

Both teams have high-scoring offenses, both of which average more than 30 points a game. Georgia is averaging 41.3, while Missouri is averaging 33.9.

Both teams move the ball well, Georgia averaging 506.5 yards of offense per game, compared to the 443 of Missouri.

Georgia is a significantly less penalized team, only allowing 34 penalties on the season compared to the 57 of Missouri.

Georgia has spread the ball around both on the ground and in the air, while Missouri heavily relies on Schrader on the ground and Burden in the passing game.

Schrader has 78 more carries than the next most-used running back for the Tigers, while Burden has 25 more receptions than the next receiver.

Georgia’s defensive game plan should be focused on those two players, forcing other players to step up.

The Bulldog defense is allowing 272.1 yards of offense to opponents, while Missouri is allowing an average of 338 yards per game.

ESPN currently gives Georgia an 83.3% chance to win this game, having them as 15.5-point favorites.

On paper, this looks like a game that Georgia should win, but with the SEC East title chances on the line for both teams in this game, anything can happen.

William James is a fourth-year Print/Digital Journalism student. To contact him, email wmj5101@psu.edu.