The Missouri Tigers (6-6) and Army Black Knights (8-4) battle in the Armed Forces Bowl Wednesday. Kickoff from Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Missouri vs. Army odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
Missouri sports an average offense, ranking 59th in the nation with 412.1 total yards per game and 55th in the nation with 29.7 points per game. However, that’s with senior RB Tyler Badie who averaged 6.0 yards per carry and logged a 14-touchdown season, but he’ll be held out of this game. Mizzou aalso heads into this contest after holding a bowl-prep audition for quarterback since their last outing.
Army is coming off a heart-breaking loss to Navy, and the Black Knights figure to have their 15th-ranked defense that allows 320.8 yards per game in high-energy mode as they look to put that loss and a 2020 bowl loss (24-21 to West Virginia, Liberty Bowl) in the rearview mirror.
Army held the Midshipmen to just 283 total yards on Dec. 11, and a stingy Knights defense has allowed just 279.8 total yards per game since Nov. 13.
Rankings courtesy of the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Missouri vs. Army odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:12 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Missouri +190 (bet $100 to win $190) | Army -240 (bet $240 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Missouri +6.5 (-105) | Army -6.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 53.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
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Missouri vs. Army odds, lines, picks and predictions
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Prediction
Army 34, Missouri 24
Money line
Redshirt freshman QB Brady Cook is the reported to have won the Mizzou quarterback competition. With the Tigers being a bit of a disappointment compared to prognostications, Army may well have more to play for and be more at full energy and talent capacity for this game.
BACK ARMY (-240).
Against the spread
During the regular season, the Black Knights went 5-3 against bowl-eligible teams. Their five wins had an average margin of victory of 14.2 points per game.
Army can stop the run and Mizzou doesn’t figure to have the aerial game to leverage an advantage there. Defensively, the Tigers rank 124th against the run (allowing 229.3 yards per game), and the Knights will likely build an advantage there into a two-score, game-control opportunity.
Service academies (Army, Navy, Air Force) have gone a 37-14 ATS (72.5%) in bowl games since 1980. That includes a 24-4 ATS (85.7%) mark when listed at -186 or better on the money line (65% implied odds).
TAKE ARMY -6.5 (-120).
Over/Under
PASS: much gray area on the pace of this one.
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