Week nine preview: Mizzou at South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. (KMIZ)
The Mizzou football team will play its first game in three weeks on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on the road against South Carolina.
The Tigers will play with 53 scholarship players, according to head coach Eli Drinkwitz. The SEC recommends each school should have at least that many players in order to safely compete.
The Tigers are 2-3 on the season, but they have not played since their Oct. 31 loss to Florida.
Meanwhile, South Carolina is 2-5 on the season. This past week, the Gamecocks fired head coach Will Muschamp after four and a half seasons at the helm. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo will step in as interim head coach on Saturday.
Viewing information: Saturday, Nov. 21 / 6:30 P.M. on SEC Network Alternate
Spread: Mizzou -6.5
Over/Under: 57
Winning Percentage Prediction (via ESPN): Mizzou (55.7%) | Florida (44.3%)
Andrew's pick:
Mizzou: 38 | South Carolina: 35
"First off, I'm predicting a dry forecast unlike the last time these two teams played at Williams-Brice in 2018 (I'm still drenched from that third quarter). This year, there's only a 1% chance of rain. Thank goodness. Now to the game... I think South Carolina is going to come out strong for interim head coach Mike Bobo. I don't expect a let down. USC running back Kevin Harris had 200+ yards rushing and five touchdowns last week, so he will almost certainly be a problem for the Tigers. With that said - I think the Tigers offense will come to play as well against a diminished South Carolina defense. Eli Drinkwitz needs to get the run game going with Larry Rountree. I'm expecting a back-and-forth ball game, but I think the Tigers pull it out in the end. Rountree will go for 100+ yards on the ground, and Connor Bazelak will throw for 300+ yards."
Nathalie's pick:
Mizzou: 27 | South Carolina: 24
“This is 100% a game of intangibles. To be honest, the only definite reason I’m picking the Tigers is because of the state of South Carolina’s defense after all those opt-outs. Mizzou has not played a game in more than 20 days due to COVID-19. South Carolina’s head coach just got fired and resulted in an exodus of defensive players. So, you have to believe this is going to be a game played with their hearts, not necessarily their heads. The Gamecocks are going to make this a ball game - they might even win - but overall, Mizzou has all the advantages in its court. But then again, in a game of heart, I don’t know how much advantages really matter.”
The Standings (whoever has the lowest score at the end of the season wins):
Andrew: +94
Nathalie: +95
Week by Week Standings:
Andrew: 3 | Nathalie: 2
