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Missouri v. Nebraska Football Odds & Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

mizz neb 10509 The Nebraska Cornhuskers head to Columbia, Missouri to take on the Mizzou Tigers this Thursday at Faurot Field in a battle of ranked Big 12 North teams in the ESPN prime time spotlight. This matchup has been all Mizzou of late as the Tigers have posted back-to-back 23-point blowout wins over the Huskers. Bu the books believe the Huskers will finally have their revenge, listing Nebraska as the 2.5-point favorite.

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Nebraska is off to a 3-1 start with its lone setback being a one-point loss on the road to a Virginia Tech team that is now ranked No. 5 in the country. This matchup with Mizzou could go a long way in deciding who will prevail as Big 12 North champion and Nebraska figures to have its work cut out for itself as it has not won in Columbia since 2001.

The Husker defense figures to provide Mizzou’s offense with its first test of the season. Through four games, the Huskers boast the No. 3 ranked scoring defense in the country, allowing only 7.0 points per game. They are also ranked No. 23 in total defense, giving up just 285 yards per game. The defense is anchored up front by All-America candidate Ndamukong and Jared Crick has also played well in the early going.

Offensively, the Huskers still have some work to do. The unit looked unstoppable in its three games against Sun Belt teams but it struggled to put points on the board in its only test against Virginia Tech. If the offense struggles to convert touchdowns this week, kicker Alex Henery could emerge as the star. Henery is 8 of 9 on field goals this season with his only miss coming from 54 yards out. He has also been an outstanding punter with seven of his 14 punts landing inside the 20. It is worth noting that the Cornhuskers are a perfect 4-0 against the spread this season and 4-0 against the number in their last four versus a team with a winning record. If you like the Huskers to take the first step in winning the North with a big win Thursday night, bet Nebraska at -2.5 at Bookmaker.

Mizzou emerged from non-conference play unbeaten for the fourth straight season to start the year 4-0 and now it will look to make it three straight wins over Nebraska. Sophomore QB Blaine Gabbert is quickly making Mizzou fans forget about Heisman Trophy finalist Chase Daniel. Gabbert ranks ninth in the entire country in terms of his QB efficiency rating (168.6) and he is yet to throw an interception in 131 attempts. On top of that, he has completed 11 passes of 30-yards or more, which is the most of any QB in the country. And I’m not done yet. Gabbert’s 66.4% completion rate is currently three points better than Daniel’s was in his first year as Mizzou’s starter. Gabbert has thrown seven touchdown passes of 25 yards or more so Nebraska is going to have to defend against the big play to avoid the small upset. We will find out if Gabbert is the real deal this week when he faces a top notch defense.

Mizzou may not be able to rely on the big play against Nebraska so that means it is going to have to do a better job of converting its red-zone opportunities. The Tigers have converted just seven of their 15 red-zone trips into touchdowns, which is the lowest rate in the Big 12.

Defensively, Mizzou still needs work, particularly against the run. Nevada racked up 218 rushing yards on the Tigers in their last game and Nebraska will gladly grind it out, like they did at Virginia Tech when they rushed for 207 yards, if they have to. It is worth noting that the home team is 6-1 against the spread in the last seven meetings in this series. If you think this trend will continue, bet Missouri at +3.5 at Bookmaker.

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