There's not much that compares to a full fall Saturday in front of the television.

Missouri football had its first idle week of the season in Week 5, emerging from the Saturday off as the No. 9-ranked team in the country. The Tigers are one of 19 FBS and four SEC teams still with an unblemished record.

Now, Mizzou moves on to the meat of its conference schedule, with Texas A&M next on deck Saturday in College Station. That’ll be a ranked matchup, as the Aggies came in tied for No. 25 in Sunday’s AP Top 25.

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With a Saturday off from Missouri in action, the Tribune kept an eye on each of the Tigers’ remaining SEC opponents who were in action.

Here are some takeaways, with five weeks worth of games now in the books, on the teams Mizzou has left to face in conference play:

Missouri football gets stout test in Texas A&M’s defensive front

If quarterback Conner Weigman is healthy, the Aggies likely will run him out, even if Marcel Reed gave Mike Elko’s team enough on offense to get over the line against Arkansas on Saturday.

The defensive front, though, appears to be the strength of this Texas A&M team so far this season. After letting the Hogs’ offense start hot, the Aggies’ front got to hounding Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green. They hurried Green seven times, sacked him three times and recorded nine total tackles for loss.

Led by edge rusher Nic Scourton, the Aggies have a seriously daunting group of potential playmakers, making this far and away the toughest test for Missouri’s blockers to date this season.

The Tigers have opened as three-point underdogs for the road game. The Aggies are gettable, but Mizzou is going to need to show a little bit more on offense to beat the odds.

Vs. Auburn, Oct. 19

In between some play calls that have defied belief and back-breaking mistakes, Auburn has actually had a cohesive, functional offense. AU is No. 23 in the country for total offense with 466 yards per game, and it was moving well versus the Oklahoma Sooners.

Wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith has been a huge portal get with 83 receiving yards per game and six total touchdowns. Freshman Cam Coleman is an electric playmaker. Jarquez Hunter is giving Auburn 87.4 yards rushing per outing.

But Auburn just cannot stop shooting itself in the foot. The Tigers have turned the ball over 15 times through five games. Only East Carolina has had more turnovers among FBS teams.

If it can clean that up, Auburn will cause somebody a problem this season. So far, though, Hugh Freeze’s team is showing no signs of that happening.

At Alabama, Oct. 26

And we thought Alabama might be vulnerable?

Yeah ... not so much.

The transition from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer has seemingly been seamless, as the Tide’s offense bullied Georgia for an instant-classic, 41-34 win Saturday night.

Jalen Milroe is, barring anything unexpected, heading to New York as part of the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams, as evidenced by his game-winning touchdown catch and run versus the Dawgs, is a problem for anyone he lines up against.

With Missouri’s recent coverage busts while dealing with mobile QBs — which Milroe certainly is — that shapes up to be a game to cross your fingers and hope for the best. If Missouri gives Alabama a game in late October on the road, you're looking at two of the top teams in the country.

Vs. Oklahoma, Nov. 9

Auburn lost its game against Oklahoma far more than the Sooners won it, but don’t let that distract you from what OU does well. Sooners coach Brent Venables’ defense has forced 13 turnovers — the second most in the country — this season with five picks and eight recovered fumbles. They did that again to stage a late comeback on the Plains.

With Michael Hawkins Jr. now starting over Jackson Arnold at QB, the Sooners have cleaned up their own turnover troubles, even without its entire cast of starting wide receivers.

Missouri likely will be favored in this game, but keep an eye on OU playmakers possibly returning from injury by the November matchup.

At South Carolina, Nov. 16

South Carolina has the potential to ruin someone’s season, and it’s going to be because of what it has on the defensive line.

Freshman defensive end Dylan Stewart has 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Senior edge rusher Kyle Kennard has an SEC-leading 5.5 sacks as part of 8.5 tackles for loss.

Missouri’s job in the other Columbia in November is simple: Do not let the Gamecocks’ defense dictate the game, and the Tigers probably win.

That’s because South Carolina still has a lot to prove on the other side of the ball. Running back Rocket Sanders looks like he’s close to his high level of play at Arkansas in 2022. Young quarterback LaNorris Sellers has been serviceable, especially on the ground.

But the strength of the team, at least through Week 5, is up front on defense.

At Mississippi State, Nov. 23

This season is pretty close to finished for the Bulldogs in Year 1 of Jeff Lebby’s tenure. Starting quarterback Blake Shapen is out for the year; the offense has lacked much punch; the lines got pushed around by Toledo in Week 3.

The Bulldogs are 1-4 and have Georgia, Tennessee and Texas A&M to play before Missouri visits in the penultimate week of the regular season.

MSU hung around in the first half at Texas on Saturday, but a 35-13 loss was all it could get out of that. Mizzou will face Mississippi State six days before it takes on Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, which might be the only semi-meaningful game left on the Bulldogs’ schedule.

Vs. Arkansas, Nov. 30

This is not the woebegone Arkansas billed in the preseason.

There’s still problems, like the giant holes Texas A&M crashed through while rushing the passer to repeatedly get in Green’s grill, but the Razorbacks are a solid outfit for the most part.

Between Green and running back Ja’Quinden Jackson, the Hogs have rushed for 840 yards and 13 touchdowns through five games. Arkansas is pairing that with a top-50 defense. UA coach Sam Pittman is seemingly getting a lot out of what he has available.

The Razorbacks’ two losses have been one-score games on the road at teams that, at the time, were ranked. After Week 5, this doesn’t look like much of a pushover at the end of the regular season anymore.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Idle week takeaways from Missouri football's remaining SEC opponents