Missouri vs. Oklahoma prediction: Odds, picks, and best bet for SEC showdown

· New York Post

Welcome back to the playoff picture, Oklahoma.

The Sooners scored a massive win over Alabama on the road in Week 12, vaulting them to No. 8 in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings, and making it pretty clear that Oklahoma would get into the dance if it takes care of its final two games against Missouri and LSU, both at home.

Oklahoma’s two losses, which came against Ole Miss and Texas, are quite forgivable, and the win in Tuscaloosa was worth its weight in gold.

It will all be for naught if the Sooners can’t beat Mizzou on Saturday.

Missouri vs. Oklahoma odds, prediction

When you close your eyes and think of Oklahoma football, an image of a spread offense and a gun-slinger quarterback comes to mind. And while this iteration of the Sooners has some of those elements, it is actually their work without the ball that makes them a real threat.

The Sooners are elite across the board on defense. Oklahoma ranks fifth in yards per play allowed, ninth in points per game, and first in yards allowed per rush. The Sooners are closer to great than elite in the secondary, but they also boast the second-best sack rate in FBS.

This all spells trouble for Missouri.

Toriano Pride Jr. of the Missouri Tigers celebrates a touchdown. Getty Images

Eli Drinkwitz has done a fabulous job in Columbia, and it’s no wonder he’s been linked to several of high-profile vacancies in college football, but this matchup spells doom for the Tigers.

Mizzou runs the ball on 58.1 percent of snaps (24th-most) and has had plenty of success leaning into that philosophy. The Tigers rank 10th in yards per carry and sixth in rushing yards per game, but they’re going to need a Plan B against this beastly run defense.

Betting on College Football?

That will put a ton of pressure on the passing game, which has stalled this season, and will be even more limp if quarterback Beau Pribula is out. Missouri is averaging just 6.6 yards per pass (94th), 194 passing yards per game (102nd), and is giving up sacks on 7.4 percent of snaps (100th).

The stylistic matchup heavily skews towards Oklahoma and wipes away any fear of a post-Tuscaloosa hangover.

The Play: Oklahoma -7.5 (-110, bet365)

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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.