Tennessee's Showdown vs. Missouri Has Ramifications Beyond Just Bowl Eligibility

Tennessee is getting ready to play its biggest football game of head coach Butch Jones' two-year tenure, chiefly because of the respectability a victory would bring to the program.

Playing meaningful games this late is something the Volunteers haven't been able to do much in recent years. While winning one out of the final two games and going to a bowl game remains a vital goal to the growth of this program, taking care of both would accomplish much more than many thought could be done this season.

Not only would UT assure itself of that all-important postseason berth (not to mention the 15 additional practices), it would signal a landmark victory that would make the nation stand up and take notice.

Here are three additional reasons beyond the bowl why beating the Tigers would be huge:

A Return to the National Picture

USA TODAY Sports

The most important residual effect of beating Missouri is that Tennessee will be viewed as a force to be reckoned with in the SEC East for the foreseeable future.

UT has been a powderkeg waiting to explode for years now, but it seems just when everybody is ready to say the Vols are "back," they're knocked back down to reality.

ESPN's College GameDay came to town back in early September of 2012 for the Florida game and devoted much of its program to the fact that if UT could get over the hump against the Gators, Derek Dooley may have his program on the track back.

Then, UF beat the No. 23 Vols 37-20, exposing Sal Sunseri's defense and sending it down what would become yet another 5-7 season that got Dooley fired.

Last year, things looked like they could turn when the Vols broke through with an upset of South Carolina, but they lost four of five down the stretch to fail to become bowl-eligible once again.

Now, Tennessee stands at 5-5 after upsetting South Carolina and blowing out Kentucky. It is actually favored at home in a night game at Neyland Stadium against an 8-2 Mizzou team contending for the top of the SEC East.

With a really strong chance to make a bowl game already, due to closing the season against hapless Vanderbilt, UT needs to set its sights higher. Beating the Tigers will make everybody stand up and take notice that Jones has the program aiming for a higher trajectory this season than most expected.

People already are trumpeting UT's turnaround since Joshua Dobbs took over at quarterback to lead what has become an unstoppable offense in recent weeks.

On the SEC Network's nightly review of Saturday's games, analyst Greg McElroy mentioned Tennessee as being the potential SEC East favorite heading into 2015, a sentiment he reiterated on Twitter.

McElroy's studio colleague Booger McFarland went a step further, calling Dobbs a Heisman Trophy contender next season.

Despite all the positive buzz surrounding the program on a national level (at least, prior to the alarming allegations that permeated the program this week), the facts remain that the defenses of South Carolina and Kentucky are atrocious.

Scoring 95 points against any duo of SEC teams the way the Vols have is impressive, but if they can duplicate a winning effort against a Missouri team that has continually found ways to win—especially on the road where it is 4-0—would make it impossible for anybody to doubt the direction of the program.

A Response to Adversity

USA TODAY Sports

By now, everybody knows about the allegations surrounding UT's second all-time leading tackler and emotional senior leader A.J. Johnson, as well as sophomore cornerback Michael Williams.

While there are much more important elements in the investigation beyond football purposes, the immediate impact for the Vols on the gridiron is potentially catastrophic.

Johnson rarely leaves the field in any alignment, and he's been a starter since his first day on campus. He aligns the front seven, and he is one of the best tacklers in the history of the SEC.

With safety Brian Randolph (who calls plays for the back four of the UT defense) out for the first half of the Mizzou game following a targeting penalty, the Vols are expected to be without their two defensive leaders for much of a game against an opponent whose offensive success hinges on speed and motion.

"We're gonna need to grow up in a hurry," Jones told GoVols247's Wes Rucker (subscription required).

Volquest.com's John Brice (subscription required) noted that true freshman Jakob Johnson would be the "likely starter" in Johnson's place this weekend.

With two key cogs in the defense almost definitely not playing and another one suspended for a half, UT has major questions. But that's why Jones' vaunted recruiting class last year is important.

If UT goes out and plays an emotional, impressive game on defense without some of its playmakers, it will not only be a major testament to the depth and talent on the roster, but it also could prove this team is mentally tough enough to face adversity and excel despite it.

Jones preaches mental toughness and earning the right to win over and over. It may as well be another game maxim. This is an opportunity for the Vols to prove it in practice.

If they go out and win, that's a huge step forward for a program that hasn't been able to get out of its own way in the past.

A Recruiting Tool

USA TODAY Sports

As if the nation's fourth-ranked recruiting class on 247Sports needed another reason to get hotter on the recruiting trail, the Vols have a chance to fill their remaining few spots in their class with elite players.

The nation's No. 4 inside linebacker, Darrin Kirkland Jr., is expected to visit Knoxville this weekend, and a good showing from the Vols could put them in an enviable position for the former Michigan commitment.

Also, a couple of vitally important targets have mentioned in the past comments that suggest they need to see some signs of winning from the Vols.

Nashville defensive end Kyle Phillips (who lists UT, LSU, Ole Miss and Alabama among his finalists) has noted how he wants to see progress. He told GoVols247's Ryan Callahan (subscription required) earlier this year:

"

I mean, it is important for me to see wins. But, also, I'm realistic. I know that a young team's not going to come in and win a national championship and stuff like that. I know stuff like that just doesn't happen like that. But if I see that they're fitting in the system and they've improved, and they've got a lot of younger guys playing, then it would give me some confidence (in them).

"

UT is also trying hard to flip Georgia offensive tackle commitment Patrick Allen, who told Volquest.com's Paul Fortenberry (subscription required) that "Tennessee hasn't always been the best but they are finishing strong."

The way Jones has recruited thus far in his time at Tennessee without wins to back up his words has been extremely impressive. Going to a bowl will enhance that pitch, but making the postseason and being able to hang his coonskin cap on beating an 8-2 division rival on the way can only fan the flames.

Tennessee is a surging program with a rising star at quarterback, a stable of young talent playing all over the field, another elite recruiting class lined up to come in 2015 and a bright future.

Beating Mizzou can announce to the college football world that the wait for UT's return to the conversation in the SEC is over.

All recruiting information taken from 247Sports composite, unless otherwise noted.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.