College Football Rivalry Week: Missouri vs. Kansas Preview

This Saturday, the Missouri Tigers and Kansas Jayhawks will embark on yet another intense border war at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. This will be the 119th meeting between the two schools, with Missouri winning 55 of them and KU taking 55.

Last year, the game was a back-and-forth thriller that came down to the final seconds. Missouri was able to prevail thanks to a late Grant Ressel field goal as time expired.

This season, Missouri comes into the game at 9-2 (5-2 conference record), with an outside chance of taking the Big 12 North title and stealing a spot in the Big 12 Championship in December.

Kansas comes into the game at 3-8 and in the cellar of the Big 12 North, with a dismal 1-6 conference record. The Jayhawks have lost six out of their last seven games.

On paper, this looks like a blowout as Missouri has been very dominant on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball at times this season, and Kansas has really struggled in both phases of their game.

Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert hasn't put up the big passing numbers that he was able to accumulate last season, but he is still a very efficient quarterback who brings in a 127.5 QB rating into this weekend's matchup.

He also doesn't make many mistakes, as he has thrown just five interceptions in 392 pass attempts for the season. The junior signal-caller could have a field day against a KU pass defense that ranks 79th in the nation.

As for when Missouri decides to run, they have used a four-man combo of Devion Moore, Marcus Murphy, Kendial Lawrence and Henry Josey. The foursome has helped MU's rushing attack average a solid 158 yards per game, while Kansas' rush defense is ranked 104th in the country, giving up over 200 yards per game on the ground.

Based on the stats, Missouri should have an easy time when they are on offense, but that is why they still play the game and let the players decide it on the field.

When KU has the ball this season, they average around 172 pass yards and 138 rushing yards per game, which puts them toward the bottom of the NCAA in both respective categories.

They also allow around three sacks per game, which they will have to improve greatly against a Mizzou defense that gets about three sacks per game. Mizzou prides itself on getting pressure on the QB with future first-round draft pick Aldon Smith on their defensive line.

Mizzou has a clear special-teams advantage at kicker. Grant Ressel is one of the best in the nation and Kansas' Jacob Branstetter has struggled in his career with the Jayhawks.

Overall, this game will not be as important for both teams as in past years, with Missouri looking to possibly get a spot in the Big 12 Championship with a Nebraska loss and an MU win. However, they are likely only looking at a higher-prestige bowl game instead.

As for KU, they are just looking to salvage their season with a big win over a hated conference rival.

Any way you look at it, it should be a hard-fought game for both sides, but I just think that Mizzou has too much talent to let this one get away this year.

Prediction: Missouri 35, Kansas 14