I'll try to help on the parking, but I'l be honest... with the programs increased success (thanks to Coach Pinkel) the majority of the parking is donor parking now. But you have options.
Here is a link to game day parking:
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/miss...map-13.pdf
In that link, you'll notice some gray boxes. Those are the pay lots. There are two pay lots near Truman's Landing, which is where all the RVs are (and where I'll be). To be honest, that is one HELL of a walk... up a steep hill. They say there's a shuttle that goes back and forth. But it doesn't run enough for me.
If I were you, I would try and park in the Tiger Avenue Garage or Parking Structure #7. Also... here's something MU doesn't advertise: See the intersection of Providence and Stadium on that map? North on Providence (from that intersection) is a pretty good grouping of Fraternity & Sorority houses. All of them sell parking in their front lawns. If you head a bit east of Providence, you'll see more Greek houses. Many of them sell parking in their lots too. I would look into parking there. MUCH closer walk. Many of them are cooking BBQ and will give you a dog on the way to the game. I believe the price is the same.
Now, if you park in the garages or the Greek houses, EARLY is the key. The earlier the better. Tons of people want those spots. I would say get there by 8 a.m. at the earliest. Quick note: I don't believe they allow grilling in the garages... So, that may impact your parking decisions.
By the way, if you do want to park in the garages, here's a link that will give you more info as to where they all are:
http://parking.missouri.edu/html/main_garage.cfm
Last bit about parking. This is what I would do, if I were visiting Columbia... To hell with tailgating. Go experience downtown Columbia. It's an outstanding college downtown, in my opinion. And if you're younger and in decent shape, Faurot Field is only about a mile walk south from downtown. You can hit up Mizzou staples like Harpos and the Heidelberg. Get something to eat and drink at each. On your walk towards the stadium, you can walk through our campus, and see what Mizzou really looks like. Before you know it, you'll be at the stadium. Most of the walk is flat too!