Texas A&M vs. Missouri prediction, pick, spread: No. 3 Aggies look to move one step closer to an SEC title
Missouri needs to hand Texas A&M its first loss of the season in order to stay afloat in the College Football Playoff race
By
Carter Bahns
•
4 min read
No. 3 Texas A&M will seek to protect its undefeated record and inch closer to an SEC championship on Saturday when it hits the road to face No. 22 Missouri. It is the third consecutive game away from home for the Aggies, who already boast two road victories over ranked opponents.
Missouri, meanwhile, remains in search of its first top-25 win. And making matters even more challenging is the absence of quarterback Beau Pribula, who is out for an undetermined period with a significant ankle injury. The Tigers will likely need to lean on their stellar defense and running game to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
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Both sides are coming off a bye week, giving their outstanding coaching staffs additional time to prepare for a vitally important showdown. The chess match between Mike Elko and Eli Drinkwitz should be among the most tantalizing coaching battles of the year in the SEC. The latter had more pressing work to do during the off week, given the tall task of preparing a true freshman quarterback for his first career start.
Texas A&M and Missouri open the final month of the regular season with a high-stakes, top-25 clash that carries ample postseason implications. That is November college football at its finest.
Texas A&M vs. Missouri: Need to know
Reed for Heisman: Marcel Reed has climbed to the fourth-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy, per FanDuel, and strengthened his case with another standout performance. The Texas A&M quarterback threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more while rushing for 108 yards against LSU, boosting his profile among the nation's top contenders. Though still a modestly accurate passer, Reed is a big-play threat who punishes defenses with his arm and legs while leading an undefeated team. His résumé grows stronger each week, and he'll have a chance to add another top-25 win against the Tigers.
No Beau: Missouri will play its first full game without starting quarterback Beau Pribula, who exited the Tigers' most recent contest with a gruesome ankle injury. While not expected to be season-ending, the dislocation could sideline the Penn State transfer for "a while," coach Eli Drinkwitz said. True freshman Matt Zollers, a four-star 2025 recruit, is expected to start after stepping in against Vanderbilt and completing 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown â the most meaningful action of his young career.
Trench battle: Something has to give when Texas A&M has the ball. The Aggies' offensive line â anchored by Midseason All-American Ar'maj Reed-Adams â is among the nation's best and has allowed just 21 tackles for loss, fewest in the country by a wide margin. On the other side, Missouri's defensive front is elite at generating backfield pressure, ranking 13th nationally against the run. The Tigers are led by a disruptive edge duo in Zion Young and Damon Wilson II.
Hard to stop Hardy: Only three running backs in college football average more yards per game than Missouri's Ahmad Hardy. The SEC rushing leader enters the matchup with 937 yards and 11 touchdowns in a stellar debut season and could surpass 1,000 yards this week. Texas A&M's defense, however, is stout against the run and will present one of Hardy's toughest challenges yet.
Where to watch Texas A&M vs. Missouri live
Date: Saturday, Nov. 8 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Memorial Stadium -- Columbia, Missouri
TV: ABC | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Texas A&M vs. Missouri prediction, picks
The 49.5-point total is tantalizing because Texas A&M games tend to shoot over -- often with plenty of room to spare. But with Missouri trotting out a true freshman quarterback to make his first career start, and with the Tigers potentially forcing Reed into mistakes with their pass rush, there is some under risk.
That makes Texas A&M -7.5 the better play.
The Aggies are 3-0 in road games and beat more than half of their SEC opponents by double digits, and there is a good chance they will reach a number in this game that Missouri simply cannot hit given its quarterback situation. After all, they scored at least 45 points in each of their last two games, both of which came away from Kyle Field. The potential for their dominant offensive line to neutralize Missouri's edge players makes that all the more likely. Pick: Texas A&M -7.5
Who will win and cover in each Week 11 college football game? Legendary Vegas expert Bruce Marshall is on a 24-10 roll on college football picks. Visit SportsLine now to see all his college football picks.
