Game Information
#22 Missouri Tigers (7-3) at #8 Oklahoma Sooners (8-2)
Time: 11am CT Saturday
How to watch: ABC
DraftKings Odds
Spread: Oklahoma -6.5
Total: 42.5
The #22 Missouri Tigers head to Norman on Saturday to take on the surging #8 Oklahoma Sooners.
The Tigers rode Ahmad Hardy and his 300 rushing yards to a 49-27 walloping of Mississippi State last Saturday.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma went down to Tuscaloosa last weekend and upset Alabama 23-21 to move into a position where OU now controls its own destiny to make the College Football Playoff. If the Sooners can win their final two games at home against Missouri and LSU, they will almost certainly be headed to the CFP.
As of the time of this writing on Friday afternoon, the expectation is that Beau Pribula will start at quarterback for Mizzou, according to CBS Sports and ESPN.
This is an important development, as Oklahoma covering the spread would have been in the running for my favorite play of the weekend if Matt Zollers was starting. But with Pribula directing the offense, that makes this game more difficult to call.
The case for Missouri is that the Tigers have won or been right there in every single game Pribula has started, including a 3-point loss to Alabama and a 7-point defeat at Vanderbilt.
If forced to make a pick heading into the game, I would still lean with the Sooners because their offense has been consistent but mostly because of how dominant their defense has been.
Oklahoma ranks 4th in the country in rushing defense and 1st in tackles for loss, so Hardy won’t find things nearly as easy as he did last week against Mississippi State.
And the Sooners excel at getting after the quarterback as well, ranking 2nd in the nation in sacks. Overall, OU ranks 9th in the country allowing just 14.8 points per game.
So while I lean with the Sooners pregame, I think you could have a good live betting opportunity in this one. I’m planning to hold off on making a wager until seeing how Pribula looks in game action. If he looks rusty or his mobility looks compromised early on, I’d be ready to fire a bet on Oklahoma. But if Pribula looks like his normal self, I think the Tigers are definitely capable of covering this number based on their close losses to Alabama and Vanderbilt.
Lean: Oklahoma -6.5 at -108 on DraftKings, but look for a live betting opportunity
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