Missouri Tigers football vs. Florida: Kickoff time, prediction, odds, streaming info
.JPG "Missouri running back Tyler Badie, right, runs past South Carolina linebacker Brad Johnson, center during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)")
THE DETAILS
Kickoff: 3 p.m. Central time
Where: Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri
TV: SEC Network
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
The line: Florida by 8.5
Mizzou injuries: DB Shawn Robinson, DB Ish Burdine, OL Bobby Lawrence, DB Chris Shearin, out; QB Connor Bazelak, probable
PREDICTION
A couple months ago, it seemed like there was no way Missouri even stood a chance against Florida. The Gators were ranked as high as No. 10 in the AP Top 25 and took then-No. 1 Alabama to the brink. But a lot has changed since then.
The Tigers and Gators enter this game with 5-5 records and just two chances left to pick up a win and earn a trip to a bowl. Florida head coach Dan Mullen is on the hot seat after his team lost three consecutive games to LSU, No. 1 Georgia and South Carolina, followed by an embarrassing 70-52 win over FCS Samford that saw it trailing at halftime.
Though Mizzou certainly stands much more of a chance in this game than it did earlier in the season, the quarterback situation is a big concern. As we’ve detailed throughout the week, coach Eliah Drinkwitz pulled Connor Bazelak in the fourth quarter of last week’s game after he threw his second interception, replacing him with redshirt freshman Brady Cook.
Though much of that has been chalked up to Cook’s ability to run the ball with Bazelak not at 100% while dealing with what Drinkwitz has repeatedly called a soft tissue injury (others have speculated it’s a hamstring injury), the head coach clearly wasn’t pleased with Bazelak’s decision making, and it speaks volumes that he didn’t name a starter this week.
The offense will center around running back Tyler Badie regardless, but the Tigers can’t afford another game where their quarterback throws multiple interceptions. The fact that Mizzou will either start a quarterback that can’t take care of the ball and isn’t fully mobile or one that has never started a college game gives the advantage to Florida.
Some questions circling around this game include whether the Tigers can continue their improvement on run defense against a great run offense, whether the Gators come ready to play or look closer to quitting like they have in recent weeks, and how last season’s halftime brawl between these two teams carries over into this one.
Missouri 34, Florida 41
