Missouri knows about facing new coach in-season

COLUMBIA - With Sunday night's news Will Muschamp had been relieved of his coaching duties at South Carolina, this Saturday's game will be the third time Missouri has played a team the week after a head coaching change was made since joining the Southeastern Conference.

In 2016, Missouri played at LSU the weekend after LSU lost 18-13 to Auburn and fired Les Miles - a 42-7 Missouri loss coached by then-interim head coach Ed Orgeron. In 2017, the Tigers hosted Florida the week after Jim McElwain was fired, a 45-16 Tigers' win.

Missouri opened Sunday as a 1-point favorite against the Gamecocks and the line quickly moved to six points in the Missouri's favor, before the news of Muschamp's firing became public. The Tigers have been underdogs in all five of their games this season, not counting the Vanderbilt game, which was postponed to Dec. 12.

Tennessee and Arkansas removed Butch Jones and Bret Bielema, respectively, in the same month after Missouri beat the Volunteers 50-17 and the Razorbacks 48-45 in November of 2017.

The SEC also announced times and TV assignments for the Thanksgiving weekend games, which confirmed the Tigers and Razorbacks would play on a Saturday for the first time in the history of the Battle Line Rivalry.

Originally scheduled to be played at Arrowhead Stadium, the game has traditionally been flexed to the Friday afternoon after Thanksgiving and televised on CBS. The coronavirus pandemic moved the game back to Faurot Field, and this year's game will kick at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, on SEC Network.

Three Missouri players also accepted invitations this week to the Senior Bowl.

Held annually before the Super Bowl and NFL Draft in Mobile, Ala., the Senior Bowl is a week of practices culminating in a senior showcase game meant to help players get drafted.

Running back Larry Rountree III accepted his Sunday. Monday, Tiger safeties Tyree Gillespie and Joshua Bledsoe accepted their invitations.

This year's game will be played Jan. 30 at 1:30 p.m.