Missouri and Kansas will continue their storied rivalry under the Friday night lights at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence.
Ranked No. 25 in the AP preseason poll, the Tigers enter as 5.5-point road favorites.
Both squads easily dispatched inferior opposition in their season openers.
Kansas dismantled LIU 51-6, while Missouri powered past Arkansas-Pine Bluff 54-14.
Missouri vs. Kansas odds and prediction
Opening odds had Missouri at -6.5, but the line has drifted toward Kansas. This shift is largely driven by doubts surrounding running back Ahmad Hardy’s availability for the Tigers.
Hardy, who is still recovering from a gunshot wound sustained in May, led the SEC with 1,649 rushing yards last season.
Even if Hardy defies expectations and plays, his impact will likely be limited in his first game back from such a prolonged absence.
Consequently, the burden of carrying the offense will shift to quarterback Austin Simmons, a player who famously lost his starting spot to Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss last season.
Simmons was a Heisman dark horse before his injury, but the 20-year-old junior possesses immense big-play ability, even if he remains prone to critical turnovers.
If Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey can polish those errors out of Simmons’ repertoire, the Tigers could be a force when Hardy comes back.
The good news is that Simmons has an experienced offensive line in front of him, and the Kansas defense doesn’t project to be a strength. The Tigers should score plenty in this one.
However, the same cannot be said for the Jayhawks when they have the ball.
Mizzou had plenty of churn on defense but the heart of the unit is impressive on paper, and defensive Corey Batoon has had the Tigers humming in his two seasons in Columbia.
It won’t be an easy night at the office for inexperienced quarterback Isaiah Marshall.
The Play: Missouri -5.5 (-110, DraftKings)
