The Missouri Tigers and the Kentucky Wildcats are not playing good football. Both teams struggled throughout the month of September. Can they find their footing in October? That’s the foremost question attached to this game.
Details
Odds: Wildcats -11
Date & Time: Saturday October 7, 7:30 PM ET
Location: Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington, KY
Broadcast: SEC Network
Reasons To Bet On The Missouri Tigers
The reasons to bet on Missouri have nothing to do with Missouri – they all deal with the struggles of Kentucky. The Wildcats have not scored more than 27 points in any game they have played this season. They won a game against a lower-division opponent in Week 2, and they still couldn’t score more than 27 points. The Wildcats’ offense looks nothing like the unit which rolled up big chunks of yardage against Tennessee and Louisville last season and found a way to be competitive in shootouts. Quarterback Stephen Johnson was supposed to be better than ever this season with another year of experience, but he has not been able to establish a rhythm with his receivers. Kentucky is 4-1, but with wins over Eastern Michigan, Eastern Kentucky, and Southern Mississippi, none of which possess strong track records. The Wildcats have the heart of their SEC schedule coming up, and their best win is over a South Carolina team which has also struggled to start the season.
It is also important to note that Kentucky’s loss to Florida was a particularly damaging event for the Wildcats. They had lost 30 straight games to the Gators and now have to deal with 31. The Wildcats seemed to carry that over into the Eastern Michigan game this past Saturday. The win wasn’t secured until the last play of the game. If Kentucky doesn’t emerge from that hangover, Missouri could certainly come into town and spoil this night game for the Wildcats.
Reasons To Bet On The Kentucky Wildcats
The reasons to pick Kentucky naturally deal with Missouri’s many and deep flaws. The Tigers have already shown how displeased they are with the way in which they have started their season. They fired their defensive coordinator after brutal early-season performances. Their coach, Barry Odom, went on a tirade from the podium after a recent loss to Auburn in which the team was destroyed, 51-14. If a team and a defense are poor enough to allow Kentucky’s offense to get healthy, and enable the Wildcats to score more than 40 points, Missouri is the best and foremost example in the SEC. The Tigers quite clearly appear to be the worst team in the 14-team conference.
What’s more is that the offense hasn’t necessarily been good while the defense has collapsed. Just 14 points against Auburn, just three points against Purdue – this side of the ball has not done its job for Missouri. The Tigers have nothing they can truly count on at this point.
Outlook
The Kentucky Wildcats and Missouri Tigers are struggling, but it seems clear that Missouri’s struggles exist on a much more severe and alarming level than Kentucky. This is still a rivalry game but you have to look back at Missouri’s season so far. They have given up at least 31 points in every game this season. That even includes their win over Missouri State when they allowed 43. Against power conference schools, they haven’t even been close in any game as they’ve lost by at least 18 every time.
On the flip side, you have a Wildcats team that might not be playing their best football but they are still 4-1. They are not an abject disaster like Missouri. The Wildcats fell a point short at home to Florida a couple of weeks ago and then followed that up with a lazy win over Eastern Michigan – a team they should have crushed. But that should wake them up for this game. After a sluggish effort, they should be much more focused this week. And their opponent is again a feeble one. Look for the Wildcats to get the win and cover in this spot.
Prediction: Wildcats -11
Click here to bet on the college football season right now. DSI has a full list of spreads, totals and props for every single game on the board. Get all of the latest lines that you need to get a piece of the action!
