The second half of the regular season opens with a full Saturday board, and the slate is stacked: six ranked matchups, including two top-10 showdowns. Missouri, ranked 13th, heads to No.
9 Ole Miss for a 2:30 p.m. CST kickoff on SEC Network, with Austin Simmons back in Oxford.
FanDuel Sportsbook has the Rebels favored by 5.5.
Before getting to the games, here’s where the season-long picks race stands after Week 6: Sammy Stava leads at 23-11, Matthew Gustafson sits at 21-13, and both Josh Matejka and Lewis are tied at 15-4.
For Missouri at Ole Miss, the panel splits into three different reads on a game that feels tight on paper. Stava sees a toss-up that naturally leans home-field, even while wanting to back Mizzou.
His issue is simple: until Drinkwitz proves he can beat a ranked team on the road, he’s staying with the Rebels, 35-30. Gustafson is riding a different wave entirely, saying he has a “good feeling about the Tigers” and pointing to Missouri’s defense finding itself at the right time.
If the offensive line and run game hold up again, he thinks the Tigers can spring the upset and enter the conversation as legitimate CFP contenders, 34-31. Matejka lands on Ole Miss as well, and he centers his pick on Trinidad Chambliss, calling him the one thing Missouri hasn’t shown it can solve yet.
In his view, the quarterback and the home crowd give the Rebels the edge, 33-30.
The noon window brings another heavyweight: No. 4 Ohio State at No.
5 Indiana, with the Buckeyes a 3.5-point favorite on FOX. Stava backs Ohio State, noting that even after the loss to Texas, the Buckeyes still have a strong claim as the best team in the country.
He thinks their offense carries them through Bloomington, 28-24. Gustafson acknowledges Ohio State has looked convincing since that loss, but he’s not ready to pick against Curt Cignetti again.
Indiana has survived plenty of bumps and bruises to get to 6-0, and he’s taking the Hoosiers in a tight one, 24-21. Matejka is the one who sees the bubble bursting.
To him, Indiana has been living dangerously, and Ohio State finally makes that catch up to them, 27-21.
At 11:00 a.m. CST on ESPN, No.
16 Mississippi State visits No. 22 LSU, with the Tigers laying 16.5.
Stava sees LSU as a team in need of a reset after last week and believes home field is enough to get the job done against a Mississippi State team he calls good, but not great, 24-20. Gustafson thinks both teams are more dangerous than people have been treating them, but he still expects LSU to keep its playoff hopes alive after a hard-fought game, 35-31.
Matejka calls both teams undervalued and expects the crowd to matter in Baton Rouge, where LSU hangs on in another close one, 30-28.
In Knoxville, No. 6 Alabama heads to No.
14 Tennessee at 2:30 p.m. CST on ABC, with the Tide favored by 7.5.
Stava sees Alabama as the more complete team and says the Crimson Tide will be motivated after the loss to Georgia. He also trusts Keelon Russell more than true freshman Faizon Brandon in a big spot, 31-20 Alabama.
Gustafson was struck by Tennessee still having just one loss, though he jokes that the Arkansas game felt like a loss anyway. With Alabama coming in angry after a narrow defeat that included a debatable no-call late, he expects the Tide to make a statement, 38-24.
Matejka agrees Alabama can handle the road environment, even if it won’t be easy. He points to the Georgia game as evidence that Kalen DeBoer’s team is very much built for this kind of test, 31-24.
The nightcap on ABC has No. 2 Notre Dame at No.
8 BYU, with the Irish favored by 10.5 in a 6:30 p.m. CST kickoff.
Stava says this is exactly the kind of road game Notre Dame needs to win if it wants championship expectations to mean anything, and he expects CJ Carr to outplay Bear Bachmeier, 38-27. Gustafson is impressed by how Notre Dame has steamrolled most of what’s in front of it, though he notes the competition hasn’t exactly been elite.
Even with LaVell Edwards Stadium behind the Cougars, he still takes the Irish, 31-24. Matejka is torn between what he thinks should happen and what he thinks might happen.
In his mind, Notre Dame is the better team, but he’s been burned before when the Irish finally meet a quality opponent on the road. With that in mind, he goes with BYU to pull the upset, 35-33.
In Other News...
Mizzou Just Added Another Guard Worth Watching In Dennis Gates' Plan
Missouri has added another piece to its future backcourt with the commitment of Devin Cleveland, a four-star combo guard from Chicago who picked the Tigers for the 2027 class. Cleveland chose Mizzou over finalists such as TCU and Michigan, giving Dennis Gates another talented perimeter target to build around as the program keeps working to stockpile guards who can fit his style.
Cleveland brings the kind of profile that tends to draw attention early, with the scouting report pointing to his skills, physical tools and the potential role he could grow into once he reaches Columbia. For Missouri, it is another sign that Gates and his staff are staying active on the recruiting trail and trying to line up pieces well ahead of time, even if the real payoff is still a ways off. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Just Added Another Guard Tigers Fans Will Want To Watch
Missouri added another intriguing name to its future backcourt when Devin Cleveland, a four-star guard ranked No. 30 in the Class of 2027, committed to the Tigers after an official visit. He picked Mizzou over Michigan and TCU, a notable win for Dennis Gates and his staff as they continue building out the next wave of perimeter talent.
Cleveland will spend his senior year at La Lumiere School, giving Missouri fans another high-level guard to follow long before he gets to Columbia. He joins fellow four-star guard Scottie Adkinson in the Tigers 2027 class, giving the program a strong early foundation and another sign that Gates has momentum on the recruiting trail. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Cleared Most Injury Doubts Before A Huge Ole Miss Test
Missouri got a much cleaner injury picture than it had been carrying into Saturdays matchup with No. 9 Ole Miss. On the final availability report before the game, the Tigers listed only eight players as limited, a group that included linebacker Jeremiah Beasley and tight end Brett Norfleet as game-time decisions, while six players were ruled out. Everyone else who had previously been tagged questionable or doubtful was cleared to play.
For a team heading into one of its biggest tests of the season, that kind of late-week clarity matters. The SECs reporting system is designed to keep the pregame picture accurate, with penalties attached to mistakes, so Missouris final update gave a more reliable look at who could be available when the Tigers and Rebels kicked off. It also left just enough uncertainty around a couple of key names to keep the attention on the sideline right up to game time. [Read more 🡒]