The Kentucky Wildcats (2-2, 2-2 SEC) and Missouri Tigers (1-2, 1-2) will scratch and claw in an SEC catfight Saturday. Kick time in the contest at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo., is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the Kentucky-Missouri college football betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Kentucky at Missouri: Betting odds and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 2:10 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Kentucky -205 (bet $205 to win $100) | Missouri +165 (bet $100 to win $165)
- Against the spread/ATS: Kentucky -4.5 (-110) | Missouri +4.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 46.5 (O: -115 | U: -106)
Kentucky at Missouri: Three things to know
- Falling COVID-19 dominos put this game on the schedule for Saturday. Kentucky was to have played Georgia; Mizzou was scheduled to play Florida. The Wildcats come into the contest off an impressive 34-7 win over Tennessee. Missouri was off last weekend; the Tigers’ last game was a 45-41 win over LSU on Oct. 10.
- Kentucky lost its first two games (Auburn, Ole Miss) but has rallied with wins over Mississippi State and Tennessee. The Wildcats returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns in their first road win over the Volunteers since 1984. A havoc-heavy UK defense has registered nine picks over the last two games.
- The Wildcats took last year’s meeting in Lexington, Ky., by a score of 29-7. UK has defeated Mizzou in five straight games dating to 2015. Three of Kentucky’s wins were by a one-score margin.
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Kentucky at Missouri: Odds, betting lines and picks
Prediction
Kentucky 28, Missouri 24
Money line (ML)
A rested MISSOURI IS THE LEAN here but only at a price over +180.
Against the spread (ATS)
In hindsight, Mizzou’s holding Alabama to 38 points looks like an ’85 Chicago Bears performance by the Tigers defense. Fading a Kentucky squad perhaps a click too far in the positive is also on track, and playing back-to-back SEC road games is not a recipe for ATS wins.
So the PLAY IS MISSOURI +4.5 (-110). Peg the lean as a moderate one at best. The small sample of results creates plenty of gray area on its own. Add in the common-opponent Tennessee Volunteers (a 35-20 Mizzou loss and a 34-7 Kentucky win), and this becomes a game to slot somewhere down toward the bottom of your Saturday menu.
Over/Under (O/U)
New Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz has Mizzou throwing the ball around at a 70% clip and with solid yardage gains (406 yards vs. LSU two weeks back). This one projects with some back-and-forth game flow. BACK THE OVER 46.5 (-115).
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