Oklahoma Sooners (6-0 SU, 3-3 ATS) vs. Missouri Tigers (6-0 SU, 3-2 ATS), Week 8 NCAA Football, 8:00 p.m. EST, Saturday, October 23, 2010, Memorial Stadium, Columbia, Mo.
by Ryno of Predictem.com
Betting Odds: OK -3/MO +3
Over/Under Total: 52
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It’s the game of the week in college football. A pair of undefeated Big 12 teams atop their respective divisions in the conference will be battling it out on national TV Saturday night in primetime. Oklahoma is ranked No. 1 in the BCS standings, but the game is at Missouri. Both teams come in undefeated at 6-0, but something has to give.
Missouri’s first five games were all at home. The Tigers started off with a win over Illinois before rattling off three wins over McNeese State, San Diego State and Miami of Ohio. In the first conference game, they shut out Colorado at home, 26-0. Then, last week, in their first road test the Tigers won 30-9 at Texas A&M. Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert was 31-for-47 passing for 361 yards and three touchdowns. Three different Mizzou receivers had huge games. T.J. Moe caught six passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. Wes Kemp caught 10 passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns. And Michael Egnew caught 10 passes for 87 yards. The Tigers didn’t accomplish much in the running department, totaling 78 rushing yards on 25 carries. They held Texas A&M to 60 rushing yards on 32 carries but allowed the Aggies to throw for 322 yards. Neither team had any turnovers.
Oklahoma has had some close calls this season. The Sooners opened up with a 31-24 home win over Utah State, a team they shouldn’t have been that close with. After an impressive 47-17 win over top-25-ranked Florida State, the Sooners had back-to-back close calls over Air Force and Cincinnati (on the road), 27-24 and 31-29, respectively. Then, the Sooners edged out Texas at home, 28-20, in their first Big 12 contest.
Last week, the Sooners made a bit of a statement with a 52-0 home win over Iowa State. The Sooners offense was absolutely spectacular in that win. It was pretty much flawless. QB Landry Jones was 30-for-34 for 334 passing yards and three touchdowns. That’s a QB rating of 199.9. RB DeMarco Murray had 20 carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns. WR Ryan Broyles had 15 receptions for 182 yards and a touchdown. The Sooners held Iowa State to 124 passing yards and 64 rushing yards.
For the season, Jones has thrown for 1,791 yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 67.4 percent of his pass attempts. Murray has 663 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns, plus 22 receptions for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Broyles has 61 receptions for 700 yards and five touchdowns.
Gabbert has 1,591 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 66.5 percent of his pass attempts. Moe and Egnew have combined for 99 receptions for 1,026 yards and six touchdowns.
Missouri relies heavily on its passing game, while Oklahoma is more of a balanced offense. For the Sooners, Murray can dominate just as much as Jones and Broyles can. But if Gabbert isn’t effective, the Tigers won’t be able to score many points. Missouri’s defense has actually fared better than Oklahoma’s this season. The Tigers have allowed more than 13 points just once, while the Sooners have only allowed less than 17 points once.
Oklahoma is 4-1 ATS in its last five conference games. But the Sooners are 1-4-1 ATS in their last six road games, 1-4 ATS in their last five games as a road favorite, and 1-5 ATS in their last six games following an ATS win. Missouri is 4-1 ATS in its last five games overall, but the Tigers are also 1-4 ATS in their last five games as a home underdog. The under is 5-1 in Oklahoma’s last six road games and 4-1 in its last five games as a road favorite. The under is 5-0 in Missouri’s last five games as an underdog and 6-1 in its last seven games in October. The road team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings between these teams.
Ryno’s Pick to Cover the Point Spread: Wrong team favored! Missouri wins this game straight up!
