Missouri heads to Athens on Saturday as the biggest underdog it has faced all season, and the timing couldn’t be tougher. The Tigers are unranked for the first time this year as the schedule reaches its most difficult stretch, while Georgia has climbed back to No. 1 after its dominant win over No. 10 Ole Miss.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC, with the Bulldogs sitting at 8-1 overall and 6-1 in SEC play.
Georgia has only two games left after Missouri, with No. 21 South Carolina also still on the slate, and the Bulldogs are in strong position to reach the potentially final SEC championship game.
The betting market reacted quickly to Georgia’s blowout of Ole Miss. Missouri is now dealing with its largest underdog spread of the season, and the Bulldogs have been one of the most reliable teams against the number, covering the spread all but twice this year.
Odds via bet365 list Missouri at +14.5 (-106) and Georgia at -14.5 (-114). On the moneyline, Missouri is +525 and Texas is -750. The total is set at 47.5 (-116).
Georgia’s performance against Ole Miss is part of why the line sits where it does. The Bulldogs are back atop the rankings, and the sportsbooks are clearly expecting them to control this one in Athens. Missouri, meanwhile, has struggled to finish close games under Eli Drinkwitz, and the line suggests oddsmakers don’t see this one being tight either.
Still, the Tigers will have to bring everything they’ve got. Georgia’s style is built around overpowering opponents on both sides of the ball, and Sanford Stadium should be loud on a fall afternoon.
A two-touchdown spread is hefty, but Georgia has shown it can pile up points when it’s rolling. Missouri will be trying to pull off just its second win in 14 meetings with the Bulldogs.
Prediction: Georgia 31, Missouri 13.
In Other News...
Missouris Texas Loss Exposed A Problem The Tigers Couldnt Hide
Missouris 34-20 loss to Texas in a top-25 matchup left plenty to sort through, and the snap counts tell part of the story. On defense, linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez was the Tigers highest-graded player at 81.9, finishing with 12 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, a busy afternoon that stood out even in a game where Missouri spent long stretches trying to keep pace.
On the other side, Austin Simmons posted the teams best offensive grade at 77.5 while completing 23 of 43 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. The broader picture from the playing-time breakdown is harder to ignore, though, because Missouris rotation on both sides of the ball reflected a team still searching for the right answers in a game that exposed more than it solved. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Just Got A Ranking Snub At The Worst Time
Missouris stumble against Texas cost the Tigers more than a loss in the standings. After sitting at No. 19, they dropped out of the US LBM Coaches Poll entirely and landed as the second team just outside the top 25, a reminder of how quickly one rough afternoon can change the national view of a team in the middle of a big season.
The timing makes the snub sting even more because Georgia is next on the schedule, and that matchup will offer a fast chance to answer it. The updated poll also reshuffled the rest of the national picture, but for Missouri the focus now turns to proving the Texas loss was a detour rather than the start of a slide. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzous Loss Exposed One Problem Talent Alone Wont Fix
Missouris 90-84 loss to Saint Louis offered an early reminder that raw talent only goes so far. The Tigers had enough individual ability to stay in the game, and their more experienced players did their part, but the overall picture was harder to ignore. Saint Louis looked like a team that had spent more time together, with continuity among its starters showing up in the places Missouri was still trying to sort out.
For Missouri, the biggest issues were the ones that tend to linger into a long season if they are not cleaned up quickly. The freshmen had trouble with defensive rotations and never found much rhythm shooting, while the Tigers as a group did not always play with the kind of unselfishness and consistency needed to win in conference play. There is enough skill on the roster to make Missouri dangerous, but this game showed how much work remains before that talent starts functioning like a complete team. [Read more 🡒]