It may not have been the SEC’s most impressive season over all, but nonetheless the table is set for a great championship at the Georgia Dome when the Missouri Tigers take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Can the Tigers finally nab their first conference championship after taking five division titles in the past eight years? Or will Alabama continue its mastery of the SEC with its third championship in five years?
For more on the exciting college football title hunt, check out our selections of the best games to watch in Week 15 of the NCAA season. Another Power 5 conference title is on the line when the Wisconsin Badgers meet the Ohio State Buckeyes for the Big Ten Championship.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Missouri Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide Betting Preview
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta
When: Saturday, December 6, 4:00 PM ET
Line: Missouri Tigers (+14.5) at Alabama Crimson Tide (-14.5) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Missouri Tigers
The Tigers keep finding ways to win. After trailing Arkansas 14-6 through three quarters on Saturday, Missouri scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth to nab a second-straight berth in the SEC Championship game.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Quarterback Maty Mauk went 25 for 42 for 265 yards with a touchdown and an interception. While Mauk hasn’t been spectacular in the regular season, completing only 53.5 percent of his passes (ninth among 10 SEC quarterbacks with at least 15 pass attempts per game), he’s delivered when needed with 22 touchdowns, just two less than the SEC-leading 24.
Mauk faces a favorable challenge in Alabama’s pass defense which has allowed an average of 219.7 yards through the air this season. With a pair of capable receivers in Bud Sasser and Jimmie Hunt, the Missouri quarterback may be able to deliver another clutch performance to lead the Tigers to their first SEC title since joining the conference in 2012. Hunt has a touchdown in back-to-back games, while Sasser had a game-high 127 yards receiving in Missouri’s comeback win over Arkansas.
If the Tigers want to clinch the conference championship, they’ll need to slow down Alabama’s offense, especially the Tide’s passing game which ranks 21st in the nation. They’ve been pretty successful in stopping other SEC offenses this season, as their 19.1 points allowed per game rank second behind only Ole Miss for fewest in conference play.
But after seeing ‘Bama’s star wideout Amari Cooper light up Auburn in the Iron Bowl, Missouri could opt to double team him with safety Braylon Webb (four interceptions) and cornerback Kenya Davis (nine passes broken up) to take him out of the game and make other Tide players beat them or at the very least force Alabama quarterback Blake Sims to throw into double coverage.
The Tigers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games.
Betting on the Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama safety Nick Perry summed up his team’s gameplan pretty nicely: “usually `Bama beats you with defense and running the ball…We can put up points or we can shut them down with defense.”
The Tide have done just that as their constricting defense has limited opponents to an average of 312.3 total yards and 16.9 points, and should pose problems for an offensively-challenged Missouri team. The Tigers are ranked 12th in the SEC with 365.9 total yards per game.
Meanwhile, running back T.J. Yeldon should be up for another big day after recording a season-high 127 yards and two touchdowns in the Tide’s Iron Bowl victory on Saturday. The Tigers may struggle to contain Yeldon as their weakness against the run was exposed in allowing an average of 225.5 yards rushing in losses to Indiana and Georgia this season.
While ‘Bama’s rushing offense may give Missouri headaches, the Tide can also throw the ball well. Quarterback Blake Sims has passed for 2,988 yards with 24 touchdowns and has an SEC-best 159.5 rating this season. Meanwhile, leading receiver Cooper has broken school records with 103 receptions for 1,573 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Despite their excellence in the passing game, the Tide have quite a challenge ahead of them in the Tigers’ defense. Missouri has limited SEC competition to an average of 185.8 passing yards, including two of the SEC’s top passing teams in Texas A&M (first) and South Carolina (third).
Despite an 11-1 record straight up, the Tide are only 3-8-1 ATS.
Writer’s Prediction
The Tide win, but the Tigers hold on to cover the spread. Create a betting account now and get in on this and other championship games coming this weekend.
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