Vegas SEC Predictions
South Dakota State at No. 24 Missouri
South Bound & Down
The Missouri Tigers have about as many questions about them going into the season as any team in college football. Can they repeat what they did last year? Are they a program or just a solid team? With the entire defense almost gone and most of the offense, there’s not a lot of hype surrounding this team, but sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk proved his competence last year and now has lots of confidence, even comparing himself to Johnny Manziel. Still, despite his dual-threat abilities, he has lots of efficiency questions after barely completing 50 percent of his passes last year and struggling against good defenses. The Tigers’ opener against South Dakota State may not reveal anything, but it’s a chance for Mauk to work on his accuracy.
Prediction
If you’re going to have a tune-up game, the Jackrabbits are perfect for that because they are easy enough to beat, and they are good enough to slightly expose some deficiencies you might have. Mauk will have a field day against this defense and the offense will put up a lot of points, but South Dakota State will have a couple of nice plays. The game will be close for the first half of the first quarter.
Missouri: 49 South Dakota State: 21