Mizzou is walking into Starkville with a lot more on the line than just an SEC opener, and the early number says the Tigers will have their hands full.
After a 27-17 win over Troy that did the job without exactly turning heads, Missouri is headed south to face Mississippi State in a conference matchup that has become much trickier than it looked a few months ago. Eli Drinkwitz said after the game that winning college football games is hard, and the schedule isn’t easing up now.
The biggest reason the trip feels different is Kamario Taylor. The sophomore quarterback has changed the tone around Mississippi State after engineering a 41-34 comeback win at South Carolina.
He’s up to an 11-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and carrying plenty of confidence as the Bulldogs try to climb out of the SEC cellar. That leaves Missouri with a real challenge in its first league game: going into an SEC stadium and slowing down a quarterback who looks like he’s found something.
FanDuel opened Mississippi State as a 3.5-point favorite for the matchup, which is a bit surprising considering where the Bulldogs have been in recent seasons. Even so, Missouri hasn’t exactly inspired much confidence through its first games, and Starkville is a tough place to start conference play.
Still, the Tigers have the kind of talent that matters when the stakes rise. If Missouri is serious about making a run at its first CFP bid, road games like this are the ones it has to handle.
Elsewhere in the SEC betting board for Week 3, the slate includes No. 1 Texas (-5.5) at Tennessee with an over/under of 57.5, South Alabama at Kentucky (-19.5) with an over/under of 54.5, No.
8 Ole Miss at Florida (-2.5) with an over/under of 58.5, No. 24 Oklahoma at No.
2 Georgia (-13.5) with an over/under of 45.5, Vanderbilt at Auburn (-8.5) with an over/under of 53.5, South Carolina at No. 10 Alabama (-12.5) with an over/under of 55.5, No.
9 Texas A&M at No. 7 LSU (-7.5) with an over/under of 53.5, and Tulsa at Arkansas (-9.5) with an over/under of 52.5.
In Other News...
Missouri Escaped Troy With A Problem Tigers Fans Can't Ignore
Missouri left Troy with a win, but not much else about Saturday felt tidy. The Tigers survived 27-17 in a game full of mistakes and defensive lapses, the kind of uneven showing that can still pass against one opponent but starts to look a lot bigger once SEC play arrives.
Eli Drinkwitz did not try to dress it up afterward, pointing to both the defensive performance and the offenses inefficiency as issues that have to be cleaned up quickly. Missouri is still undefeated, and the schedule now turns to Mississippi State, which gives the Tigers a chance to answer a simple question: was this just a rough afternoon, or a warning sign fans cant afford to ignore? [Read more 🡒]
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The tournament carries extra meaning for Missouri because it honors former Mizzou womens golf coach Johnnie Imes, and it comes with a chance to keep building after a solid start to the season. Mizzou won the event last year, so this week offers both a home-course advantage and an early test of whether the Tigers can turn that opening-week progress into something more substantial. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Fans Have One Huge Reason To Watch LSU Ole Miss
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Trinidad Chambliss has emerged as a key piece for the Rebels, and LSUs side comes with its own question marks after quarterback Sam Leavitt showed up on the injury report. That leaves plenty riding on how the Tigers handle the moment, especially with both teams trying to protect their unbeaten starts. For Missouri, the appeal is obvious: the result could ripple well beyond Oxford and directly affect the path in the conference and the playoff conversation. [Read more 🡒]