The class of the AL Central comes in as slim as a favorite as they’ve been in quite some time. With the Indians returning their whole team, the Royals becoming relevant following their 2014 run, and now the White Sox making a splash in the offseason, the Central is now jammed packed with 4 legit contenders.
The Tigers finished the season right about where we expected, near the top of the new AAC. This is a team that can be dangerous at times but still too often seems to not live up to the assumed talent level.
Yesterday I wrote that Mount St. Mary’s was the least deserving team in the tournament but I was probably wrong because that title belongs to Cal Poly. Even in winning the Big West they finished with only a 13-19 record and they were well under .500 in their league.
This has been a disappointing season for Alabama basketball – no doubt about it.
Both of these teams are into the tournament so this is just a game to determine seeding and to answer which team has the better group of guards. Memphis may have the Huskies in terms of depth but on talent you might want to go with Connecticut.
The 18th-ranked Southern Methodist Mustangs will make the trip out to Tennessee for a date with the 20th-ranked Memphis Tigers on Saturday.
The Bulldogs have not been as dominant in the WCC as they have been in the past this season – heck they have three losses.
Missouri is 8-9-2 ATS with an O/U record of 6-12 and Missouri is 9-7-1 ATS with an O/U record of 4-12-1.
The 11th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats will make the trip over to Baton Rouge to take on SEC rival the LSU Tiger.
This is the final BCS Championship Game. It might not be the matchup we thought we were getting for most of the season but it features an undefeated Heisman winner against a team from the SEC so we can’t be too shocked.
Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston will led No. 1 Florida State against No. 2 Auburn in the Vizio BCS National Championship Game on Monday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
This is a matchup I am looking forward to with Missouri facing a former B12 conference mate in the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
The 12th-ranked Clemson Tigers will face off with the seventh-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on Jan. 3 in the Orange Bowl in Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida.
LSU will be looking for the 4th consecutive 10 win season as they face the Iowa Hawkeyes who had a good year beating the teams they should have beaten, but came up short against the elite teams, you can say.
The 16th-ranked Florida Gators will do battle with the 15th-ranked Memphis Tigers on Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. Memphis brings a six-game winning streak into this one, while Florida has won six of their last seven, with their lone loss coming against UConn.
The third-ranked Auburn Tigers will do battle with the fifth-ranked Missouri Tigers in the SEC championship game on Saturday.
5 Missouri Tigers (11-1) at 3 Auburn Tigers (11-1)
Date: Saturday, December 7, 2013
Time: 4:00 pm ET
Venue: Georgia Dome
City: Atlanta, Georgia
O/U Odds: 58
Spread: Auburn -2
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Missouri is coming off of one of the most impressive regular seasons in the history of the program, while Auburn claimed one of the best victories in one the program’s most important rivalry. The next win could be the biggest yet for both sides, with a trip to the national title game possibly in the cards.
Auburn faced tremendous odds last weekend in the Iron Bowl, but emerged with a spectacular win on the final play of the game, 34-28.
It was the second time in as many weeks that Auburn needed a huge play late in the fourth quarter to sneak past an SEC opponents. This time around, it was Chris Davis’s returning the length of the field to the house for the walk-off win.
That score supplemented a strong effort by the team against a dominant Alabama defense. Quarterback Nick Marshall completed 11 of 16 passes for 97 yards and two scores but did most of his damage with his feet, rushing for 99 yards on a score on 17 attempts.
Running back Tre Mason didn’t get the start officially, but that was a smoke screen as he led the team in offensive touches, carrying the ball 29 times for 164 yards and a score. In total, the team racked up 296 yards on the ground.
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The team’s defense bent but didn’t break, surrendering 495 yards to the Tide, but stopping them on nine of 13 third down attempts, and one of two fourth down attempts. They did have a ton of trouble with the Alabama rushing game, surrendering an average of 6.2 yards per carry.
Missouri beat Texas A&M in their last contest. 28-21, defeating Johnny Manziel in what was likely his final regular season game with the Aggies.
The team’s defense limited Manziel to just 216 total yards in the game, and forcing the game’s only turnover. In total, they limited The Aggies’ high-powered offense to just 379 total yards of offense.
On the flip side, the Missouri offense didn’t have those kinds of problems. Quarterback James Franklin completed 18 of 28 passes for 233 yards and two scores, adding 80 rushing yards, and not turning the ball over. His top two receiving option each had big games, as L’Damian Washington brought in six balls for 97 yards and a score, while Dorial Green-Beckham had seven receptions for 93 yards and a score.
Running back Henry Josey led the team’s backfield attack, rushing 13 times for 96 yards, including the game-winning 57-yard touchdown in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
Auburn has used a lot of smoke and mirrors to get where they are, while an injury cost Missouri a shot at a perfect season. Last weekend’s win has bettors wanting to get behind Auburn, while the reality is the team is due for a major letdown.
The play: Missouri +2
