[2] This was the first meeting of the teams since 1910, when Missouri refused to take the field if Archie Alexander, the black starting tackle for Iowa travelled to Columbia.
Midway through the season, Missouri looked like it might be making a beeline for the BCS, sitting at 7–0 and favored in its final four games.
The Tigers stumbled, following a loss to Nebraska with another at Texas Tech, but rebounded to win its final three games and finish at 10–2 for the program's third 10-win season in four years, bringing the program to its fourth such season ever.
Iowa looked to end its season on a high note in making its first appearance at the Insight Bowl.
But Iowa lost 4 of their last 6 regular season games by a total of 11 points, including a season-ending 27–24 loss at 2–9 Minnesota.