In an SEC clash, the Missouri Tigers (1-0) will travel to take on the Kentucky Wildcats (1-0) Saturday at Kroger Field in Lexington, KY. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Missouri vs. Kentucky odds and lines; check back for our college football picks and predictions.
With the Wildcats kicking off the QB Will Levis-era, they absolutely crushed the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks 45-10. Levis threw for 367 yards and four touchdowns. RB Chris Rodriguez had a 19-125-1 line on the ground.
Everything was clicking for the home side. The same of which can’t be said for Missouri, who won 34-24 over Central Michigan.
This game was closer than many expected. The Tigers will need a better performance to stand a chance against Kentucky. RB Tyler Badie did go for over 200 yards on the ground.
Both defenses will have their hands full trying to tame a couple of dynamic rushing offenses.
Missouri at Kentucky odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 7:45 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Missouri +175 (bet $100 to win $175) | Kentucky -220 (bet $220 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Missouri +5.5 (-112) | Kentucky -5.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 55.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
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Missouri at Kentucky odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Kentucky 31, Missouri 20
Money line
“LEAN” to KENTUCKY -220 as a decent value on the money line. It’s a tad too rich for my liking, but given that Kentucky is at home and had a much stronger opening weekend, it’s certainly justified.
Levis looked terrific as the Wildcats leader, and the Tigers pulled off just a 10-point win. At -220, I’d still shy away from it and drop at most half a unit on the money line.
Against the spread
BET on KENTUCKY 5.5 (-108) as the best team-specific value. Kentucky has won three straight bowl games and quickly has acclimated their transfer quarterback.
The program is starting to build some quality players behind head coach Mark Stoops. Tigers’ QB Connor Bazelak didn’t throw a pick and did have two touchdowns, so he had a solid opener.
However, his performance and the Tigers winning by just 10 don’t combine to give confidence for betters. That said, the Wildcats are surging and should be able to take down the Tigers easily behind their home crowd.
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Over/Under
“LEAN” to the UNDER 55.5 (-108) as both sides put up over 150 yards on the ground. This game should go by quickly as the run game may be preferred.
While both teams hit at least 30 in Week 1, they also gave up under 25 points. This will be the best competition each has taken on. Both played much weaker sides to kick off the 2021 season.
Expect some struggle as they battle against better run defenses. The total on this one is a tough bet, but the Under is the better of the two as run game and defenses should dominate.
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