Central Florida Knights vs Missouri Tigers Point Spread Picks

While many may feel that last year was a fluke for Central Florida because they had an NFL QB, who has now departed, a 2-point loss to Penn State and a long track record under coach O'Leary that says otherwise. Missouri had what could have been a tough game last week against Toledo on the road, but came up aces, and they are now riding the label of overrated, bumping the line here. Central Florida always manages to compete with teams they are supposed to be a bit short on talent against. Central Florida's resume includes a 5-1 ATS mark when playing as a non-conference dog in their last six. The Knights may have a hidden wild card in this one as Pete Dinovo started at QB in the first game, but was relieved by Justin Holman who moved the offense much better. A solid marker for this Knights team has been when they have held their previous opponent to less than 100 yards on the ground as they have followed by going 35-15-1 ATS in their last 51. Take the points on Central Florida.

The Missouri Tigers got an unwelcome greeing into the SEC as they haven been beaten soundly by No. 5 Georgia and No. 6 South Carolina by a combined score of 30-72. That leaves them at 2-2 and it makes them look a lot worse than they are, given the level of competition. Central Florida would probably be 1-3 following this same path into game five, so getting points here is a bonus. The Knights were manhandled by Ohio St 31-16 for their only loss on the season. It is hard to take much from their win over Akron, and they struggled a bit vs. Florida International in a 33-20 win. In that game they allowed 4.5 rushing yards per carry - better than they did themselves. The Tigers have been at their best after an ATS loss, coming back to go 7-1 ATS in their last eight. They are also 21-8-1 ATS after gaining less than 280 yards in their previous game and 13-3 ATS under Gary Pinkel following a 17+ point loss. So, this team has a history of stepping-up after a disappointing showing. Central Florida is just the opposite as they are 0-6 ATS after allowing 170 yards or less passing in their previous contest. Play this one on Missouri.