Week 9 of the College Football season is here, and Mizzou will be featured in College Gameday for the first time since 2014. Too bad it’s not in COMO — but a Top-15 matchup between the Tigers and Commodores
headlines the Saturday slate. Ole Miss at Oklahoma and Texas A&M at LSU are the other ranked matchups in the SEC.
Let’s make some picks (with the odds presented by our partners over at FanDuel Sportsbook
)Stava: 26-13
Deck: 19-10
Gustafson: 17-12
Hurst: 17-8
Matejka: 14-11
No. 15 Missouri Tigers at No. 10 Vanderbilt Commodores (-2.5) (2:30 p.m. CST on ESPN)
Sammy Stava: Vanderbilt has the better quarterback as of right now, but Missouri has the better overall talent on paper. There’s no question that Vandy is better than Auburn, but if Mizzou can withstand a road night game at Jordan Hare Stadium — an afternoon road trip to Nashville shouldn’t be all that daunting. I think the College Gameday hype distracts the Commodores a bit. Drinkwitz and the boys find a way to get it done. 24-20, MIZ.
True Deck:
Matthew Gustafson: I agree with Sammy that Mizzou has the talent edge here. To me, this game’s going to come down to two things: can the offensive line and Ahmad Hardy reignite the running game, which I believe will also help Beau Pribula significantly, and can the defense hold off Diego Pavia. I think the answer to both these questions will be a yes, so give me the Tigers, 31-28.
Nathan Hurst:
Josh Matejka:
No. 8 Ole Miss Rebels at No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners (-4.5) (11:00 a.m. CST on ABC)
Sammy Stava: In a game that feels like that could go either way, got to go with the home team. Mateer and the Sooners get it done in Norman. 35-30, OU.
True Deck:
Matthew Gustafson: I’ve been skeptical of this Sooners team all season, and Ole Miss just played an extremely competitive game against Georgia after looking underwhelming the previous two weeks. Trinidad Chambliss matches up with John Mateer, and the Rebels eke out a 34-31 win.
Nathan Hurst:
Josh Matejka:
No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (-11.5) at South Carolina Gamecocks (2:30 p.m. CST on ABC)
Sammy Stava: South Carolina looks like they have given up. Ty Simpson and Bama roll on the road. 37-21, Tide.
True Deck:
Matthew Gustafson: Could this be a trap game? Um…. not really, no. Alabama is one of the hottest teams in the country right now, and the Gamecocks are decidedly not. Give me the Tide, 35-17.
Nathan Hurst:
Josh Matejka:
No. 22 Texas Longhorns (-7.5) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (3:15 CST on SEC Network)
Sammy Stava: The Bulldogs are much improved from last year and they will make this one interesting like they did against Tennessee earlier. Just too much talent on the Longhorns’ roster and Texas is in must-win mode if they have any chance at the CFP. 31-23, Hook ‘Em.
True Deck:
Matthew Gustafson: This feels like a game designed to me one of us on pick ‘ems (I’m just hoping it’s not me) look foolish, because it’s very difficult to get a clear read on these two teams. Will we see the Longhorns we saw against Oklahoma, or pretty much the entire rest of the season? Can Mississippi State pull off the upset and get its first SEC win after coming tantalizingly close in two of three conference games? Call me crazy, but I’m taking the Bulldogs at home, 24-21.
Nathan Hurst:
Josh Matejka:
No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies (-2.5) at No. 20 LSU Tigers (6:30 p.m. CST on ABC)
Sammy Stava: No matter how underwhelming LSU looks this season — a road night game in Death Valley is never easy and could spell trouble for Texas A&M. However, Marcel Reed will outplay Garrett Nussmeier and Elko out-coaches Kelly. Aggies head into COMO undefeated. 28-24, TAMU.
True Deck:
Matthew Gustafson: Aggies fans will surely be sweating for all 60 minutes of this night game in Death Valley, not only for the environment, but because it’s the type of game the program has lost so often in previous years – including the last time Texas A&M traveled to Baton Rouge. But I really think this is the year they turn the page, and the Aggies have a playoff-quality team. A&M breaks its cycle of disappointment and wins 31-24.
Nathan Hurst:
Josh Matejka:
