:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/2132055/152051785.0.jpg)
Kentucky Wildcats vs. Missouri Tigers, 12 p.m. ET, ESPNU
This can't be how Missouri fans saw their first season in the SEC turning out. The Tigers are without an SEC win halfway through the conference slate, battling to ensure bowl eligibility and boasting only wins over Arizona State and at UCF among the FBS teams on the slate. No one said the new conference was going to be easy, but few saw it being quite this hard.
Kentucky -- well, even Kentucky fans probably saw this coming. Joker Phillips has had a difficult team meeting even the mild expectations created by Rich Brooks, and there's no real sign in Year 3 that Phillips will ever match Brooks' teams. At some point, even the most loyal alumnus has to put some wins up on the board to keep his job.
Both of these teams are pretty dreadful on offense, but Missouri has the slight edge on defense. Today likely marks Gary Pinkel's first SEC win. As for Phillips, it's looking more and more unlikely that he will be around to see Kentucky's next SEC victory.
Missouri 21, Kentucky 16