Vanderbilt ranks No. 60 in FPI on ESPN, which isn't the worst in the SEC − Mississippi State is 64th. That metric, which takes into account how a team played much more than wins and losses, is higher on the Commodores now than it has been in the past few years.

Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia arrived from New Mexico State as a graduate transfer along with his coach, Jerry Kill, and offensive coordinator, Tim Beck. They've provided a big boost to the Commodores’ offense. Pavia mostly relied on his legs in their first two games, but he threw for a season-high 270 yards and two touchdowns last week.

It’s Week 4, and it’s starting to mean more. Missouri football and Vanderbilt will each open their respective SEC campaigns with a game at 3:15 p.m. Saturday on Faurot Field in Columbia. Mizzou (3-0) passed its first ranked test of the season last ...