Game Information
#22 Missouri Tigers (6-2) vs #3 Texas A&M Aggies (8-0)
Time: 2:30pm CT Saturday
How to watch: ABC
DraftKings Odds
Spread: Texas A&M -7
Total: 48.5
The #22 Missouri Tigers’ College Football Playoff hopes are on the line on Saturday when the undefeated #3 Texas A&M Aggies come to Columbia.
With a win, Mizzou will feel like it can beat anybody and have a very good chance to win out and make the CFP.
But with a loss, the CFP dreams are dead and the focus will shift to if head coach Eli Drinkwitz is going to stick around for 2026 and beyond.
It’s a wide delta of big-picture outcomes for a game that I think also has a wide range of outcomes.
True freshman Matt Zollers will start at quarterback after playing well in relief at Vanderbilt a couple weeks ago, but now he faces the #3 team in the country that has had two weeks to prepare for him. Zollers will be tested by an Aggies defense that has recorded the third-most sacks in the SEC.
But this A&M defense is gettable. The Aggies give up nearly 24 points per game, which ranks 12th in the conference. They are also middle of the pack in stopping the run, so Ahmad Hardy has a strong chance to have a great game. If Zollers can perform at least at a similar level as he did at Vanderbilt, the Tigers should be able to put up some points here.
But the Aggies should be able to get theirs as well. The A&M offensive line has been terrific protecting quarterback Marcel Reed. The Aggies have allowed the fewest sacks in the SEC. They also rank second in the conference in scoring, as they’ve posted 31+ points in every game except for one. The Missouri defense has been playing at a high level lately, but it’s going to be a tall order to hold A&M to under 24 points - which I think is what it’s going to take for the Tigers to pull the upset.
I think this game could go a lot of different ways mostly because of the unknown of Zollers being thrust into a massive test in his first college start. Although I don’t think it’s likely, there is a scenario where the moment is too big for him and Missouri gets blown out. But the Tigers arguably looked better offensively with Zollers running the show than they had with Beau Pribula in recent weeks, so it’s also very possible the Tigers keep up with the Aggies and have a chance to spring the upset.
I tend to lean more to the latter. I think we’re going to see some points on Saturday, so if you’re going to bet this one, I think the over is the way to go.
Lean: Over 48.5 at -105 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. Get Eric's picks for all sports by following him in the Action Network app with the username "esontag". Disclaimer