Game Information
#20 Missouri Tigers (4-0) vs UMass Minutemen (0-3)
Time: 6:30pm CT Saturday
How to watch: ESPNU
DraftKings Odds
Spread: Mizzou -44.5
Total: 55.5
The Missouri Tigers look to keep on rolling when they host the UMass Minutemen on Saturday night.
The Tigers are 4-0 and ranked 20th in the AP poll after last week’s 29-20 win over South Carolina. Saturday’s matchup marks Mizzou’s fifth of six home games to open the season, as #17 Alabama will visit Columbia on October 11th after next week’s bye.
UMass comes to town as one of the worst FBS programs in the country. They are 0-3 to start the season, including a 27-26 home loss to Bryant.
The Tigers are going to cruise here, but with a spread of 44.5, you have to look a little harder than normal to find a good betting angle for this game. I personally have no interest in laying an enormous number like that.
If you’re going to the game or if you really want to have some action while you watch it, I think the best betting angle is under 23.5 points in the second half.
We already saw Sam Horn and Blake Craig suffer serious injuries in the Central Arkansas game, so priority #1 on Saturday besides winning the game should be to keep everyone healthy for Alabama in a couple weeks.
I expect Missouri to get out to a big lead and play backups the vast majority of the second half, but I don’t want to take Mizzou -27.5 in the first half because that is a massive number for 30 minutes of football. Last year in this game in Amherst that Missouri won 45-3, the Tigers were leading 24-3 at half, meaning they would not have covered a 27.5 point first half spread.
In the second half, there were only 21 points scored - including zero in the fourth quarter.
This game screams call off the dogs, take it easy in the second half, and get ready for the Crimson Tide in a couple weeks.
So if you’re going to bet this one, I’d go with under 23.5 in the second half.
Lean: Under 23.5 in the second half at -115 on DraftKings
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Wednesday night on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Picks = betting the game - minus odds betting to win 1 unit, plus odds risking 1 unit. Leans = no strong opinion, not betting the game. Disclaimer