On Saturday afternoon, the Missouri Tigers will face their stiffest test of the season as they'll visit a reeling Alabama Crimson Tide squad that is in desperate need of a win to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Missouri too has slim College Football Playoff hopes, and like the Tide, getting a win in Tuscaloosa will go a long way in turning that dream into a reality.

Fortunately for the Tigers, the young man who has started 34 consecutive games at quarterback for Missouri will improbably attempt to give it a go and make it 35 straight starts on Saturday afternoon.

“Missouri quarterback Brady Cook was upgraded to questionable on the SEC injury report Friday night, and sources told ESPN that he is expected to ramp up and attempt to play at No. 15 Alabama on Saturday,” writes ESPN's college football insider Pete Thamel.

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The fact that Brady Cook will be playing against Alabama is a tremendously surprising development. Cook was knocked out of last Saturday's matchup game against Auburn with an ankle injury that was so severe that it required a mid-game visit to the hospital. Amazingly, Cook returned from the hospital in just enough time to lead Missouri to a 21-17 comeback victory.

Despite the fact that Brady Cook re-entered last week's game following a brief hospital visit, he was considered doubtful throughout most of this week. Backup quarterback Drew Pyne received 1st-team reps throughout the week, and Cook was seen wearing a walking boot during Missouri's walk-throughout on Friday afternoon.

To make matters even worse for Missouri, they'll be without starting running back Nate Noel against Alabama. Noel, like Cook, briefly left last weekend's game with an injury, but returned in the 2nd half. However, on Wednesday, Noel was ruled out against the Tide due to a foot injury.