I think this line is predicated more on what Mississippi finally accomplished against a top tier SEC team in LSU than anything. They followed that up by beating mediocre teams and now have a shot to come up with the biggest win in a long time. Not so fast! Missouri is off 2 weeks rest and preps for the biggest game of the year because it's the next one. They win this game and lose next week against Manziel, but they have everything in line to get to the BCS Championship.
Missouri is just a complete team right now and they really lack any weakness. I was down on the Tigers when they lost their senior QB but now James Franklin is back. Matty Mauk did a decent job, but Franklin is clearly better than Mauk. Franklin gets the right game to come back for because Mississippi is 109th in the country in sack % while Missouri's pass protection is pretty good at protecting their QB's. Missouri's pass defense is led by a 8.74% sack % on the road that should put some pressure on Bo Wallace who has struggled against good pass defenses and has a QB rating that's 30 points lower in conference play.
Missouri can also run the ball and stop the run. They average 5.41 ypc in conference play and allow 3.12 ypc while Ole Miss is 3.67 and 5.16. Missouri is also +14 in turnover margin and should also have a chip on their shoulder because they still fly under the radar and are getting no respect. The big receivers will welcome back Franklin who will actually check down to wide open receivers unlike Mauk and beat you deep in the right spots.
Okay this is the game of the week and a lot of questions are out there on whether or not Baylor can remain undefeated. There are a few signs that tell me no and I'll break it all done. First lets get the under out of the way. 78 points is just too many points when you look at these two teams whose strengths reside on the defensive side, but are known as high flying offenses. We definitely have an over hyped total here and I'll go on the under. Baylor and Oklahoma State start with the run on offense both teams are top 20 in stopping the run. Both teams are allowing just 32% in third down conversions, and both teams allowing under 50% red zone TD % on defense.
For Baylor this season has been incredible, but only one problem. They have played only two road games. Are you serious? For all of their glory they have struggled in two games despite the final scores. Kansas State on the road and at home against Oklahoma who had them on the ropes for most of the first half. Why does Oklahoma State have a better shot? They are just far more balanced than those two teams and they are at home.
For one they are better at stopping the run and running the ball than Oklahoma. And they can actually pass the ball unlike Kansas State who was missing their top 2 targets. Oklahoma features a QB that can run the ball much like Kansas State's Daniel Sams who had a ton of success rushing. The biggest issue for Baylor is the run defense of Oklahoma State that ranks 18th in yards per carry allowed because Seastrunk is banged up and they are now without Spencer Drango. Baylor will have a hard time also stretching the defense as Oklahoma State are sure tacklers, and ranked 13th in yards/ attempt. Both Oklahoma and Kansas State were top 30 in yards/attempt and gave Baylor issues in the passing game. Oklahoma State though is better than both, and have the better offense. Baylor may win the game but asking them to win by double digits on the road is just too much especially since Oklahoma State is just a bad match up for them and they are on the road in Stillwater where it's going to be in the low 30's possibly some snow and they have not won since 1939.
