Missouri Tigers at Nebraska Cornhuskers
Saturday, 10/30/2010, 3:30 PM EST, TV: ABC
Opening Point Spread: Nebraska -7
Current Betting Line: Nebraska -7.5
Opening Total: 54.5
Current Total: 56
Current Moneyline: Nebraska -310 / Missouri +260
Missouri picked up arguably its biggest win in school history last week with a 36-27 upset victory over then-BCS leading Oklahoma. The Tigers coaching staff hopes the players didn’t go overboard in enjoying the victory and lose focus on this week’s contest. “There will be some more distractions since we won that game. We expected that,” defensive back Carl Gettis said. “It was a good win, but it’s over with now.” The Tigers knew they needed to create turnovers against a Sooners that ranked second nationally in turnover margin and did just that by forcing three miscues. Missouri recorded its 10th and 11th interceptions of the year last Saturday after having just eight all of last season. Head coach Gary Pinkel normally gets his teams up for road games, posting a 10-3 record since 2007 away from home. The squad is 5-2 ATS this season and the college football lines page has them listed as a 7.5-point underdog.
The Tigers aren’t newcomers to the BCS-game this time of year and Pinkel can draw on experience of when his program was No. 1 in the standings on November 25, 2007, before dropping a contest to Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship. “It’s just about getting your mind focused and getting your team focused to play it’s very, very best,” he commented. Missouri’s defense has had the eye on the prize all year and currently ranks first in the Big 12 Conference, fifth nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 13.14 points per game. The 92 points allowed by the Tigers through seven games is the lowest since the 1973 season.
Nebraska returns to Memorial Stadium for a Big 12 North showdown with the Tigers and the winner knows it will take a major step towards the conference championship game. “They’re all big, they’re all big. This is the next one. Our guys are worried about what to do today to keep getting better as a football team,” said head coach Bo Pelini. “If we do, we’ll be ready.” The Cornhuskers hold a 64-35-3 all-time edge between the two schools, including a dominating 33-15-1 advantage in Lincoln. Surprisingly enough, none of the last 11 meetings between these two rivals have been decided by single digits. The squad is 3-4 ATS this season and 0-4 ATS in home contests.
The Cornhuskers impressed offensively in a 51-41 when over then-No. 17 Oklahoma State and quarterback Taylor Martinez led the team by his arm, not his legs. Martinez threw for 323 yards and also rank for a team-high 112 yards, giving him 870 this season. The win marked the team’s sixth-straight road victory and now will look to cover the spread at home for the first time this year. “We’ve been pretty good on the road. Not that we haven’t been good at home,” receiver Mike McNeill said. “Just little things, for whatever reason have made us play differently here.”
Bettors will find the Tigers 4-10 ATS mark following an ATS win alarming, while the Cornhuskers are 0-6-1 ATS in their last seven games as a home favorite.
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