Alabama has played in four straight nail-biting one-score games, struggling to pull away in each contest.
Last week, the 15th-ranked Crimson Tide lost to Tennessee, giving them little to no margin for error for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, No. 21 Missouri escaped with a four-point win over Auburn after trailing for most of the game to move to 6-1.
The two teams meet on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in a huge SEC matchup with plenty of College Football Playoff implications.
Alabama opened as a 13.5-point favorite and the spread has ballooned to the Crimson Tide laying 17 points. Meanwhile, the total got as high as 57 points before dropping to as low as 51.
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Missouri vs. Alabama odds
Team
Spread
Moneyline
Total
Missouri
+16.5 (-105)
+550
o51.5 (-105)
Alabama
-16.5 (-115)
-800
u51.5 (-115)
Odds via BetMGM
When Missouri has the ball
The Tigers will be shorthanded on offense as quarterback Brady Cook and running back Nate Noel are doubtful on the injury report.
Last week, Cook left the game with a high-ankle sprain against Auburn, but he returned to help lead Missouri to the comeback win. If he’s out, it would be Drew Pyne, who completed just 47.6% of his passes and posted a dreadful 3.7 yards per attempt last week.
With Noel sidelined, the Tigers will rely heavily on Marcus Carroll. The App State transfer is averaging 4.7 yards per carry to Noel’s 6.1, but he has forced 15 missed tackles, per Pro Football Focus.
Marcus Carroll will have a big role for Missouri against Alabama. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It will likely be tough sledding for him against a Crimson Tide run defense that ranks 16th in EPA per rush allowed.
Luther Burden III is one of the most talented wide receivers in the country, but he hasn’t made the same impact this year, and the downgrade at quarterback won’t help his case. He’s posted 90-plus receiving yards just once this season after doing so in eight of his 13 games last year.
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The Crimson Tide secondary has been vulnerable to giving up explosives, but the Tigers rank just 94th in yards per drop-back allowed this season.
When Alabama has the ball
After showing incredible signs of progress over the first month of the season, Jalen Milroe has played two of the worst games of his career over the last two weeks. In those contests, he’s thrown four turnover-worthy plays with no big-time throws, and he’s completed just 1-of-8 deep passes.
Alabama has struggled to protect Milroe, which could be a real problem against a Tigers defense that ranks 23rd in havoc. The Tide, meanwhile, ranks 105th in havoc allowed.
It’s fair to note that the opposing schedule of quarterbacks hasn’t been elite, but Missouri ranks top-15 in EPA per pass and passing success rate allowed.
Alabama will likely also struggle to consistently run the ball against a defense that ranks in the top 25 in yards per rush allowed and tackling.
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The Tide surprisingly ranks just 87th in rushing success rate on offense despite having a talented backfield headlined by Jam Miller and Justice Haynes, alongside Milroe’s rushing threat.
Missouri vs. Alabama pick
The Alabama defense has been heavily criticized. However, this looks like a get-right spot for Kane Wommack’s group against an offense missing its top quarterback and running back.
The Tigers have been underwhelming on offense, and it’s difficult to envision Pyne having much success on the road against a defense still loaded with talent.
Meanwhile, I don’t expect a barrage of scoring from Alabama against a defense that has maintained strong marks across the board under first-year DC Corey Batoon.
Betting on College Football?
Milroe will likely hit a couple of explosive plays through the air to Ryan Williams. Still, the down-to-down consistency won’t be there behind an offensive line that looks overmatched against a havoc-minded Tigers front.
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The total has already dropped in response to Missouri’s injuries, but other aspects of this game still lead me to the under, and I’d play anything over the key number of 51.
Best bet: Under 51.5 points (-115, ESPN BET)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Jacob Wayne handicaps college football and the NFL for the New York Post. He’s up 84.5 units across the two sports with a 6.27% ROI.
A tractor-trailer carrying tofu that crashed southwest of Rolla has been stinking up a part of Phelps County for weeks.
The semi crashed March 1 on Interstate 44 near a ravine known as Tater Hollow.
Local authorities say no one was hurt, but the crash scene at the 172-mile marker is still there. One local resident wrote online that the rotting tofu left behind smells similar to catfish bait.
“For those of you who drive by this everyday and wonder to yourself ‘why is this still sitting here three weeks after the crash?’ You are not alone,” wrote officials from the nearby Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District, which responded to the wreck.
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Pictures of the site on the fire department’s Facebook page show the semi buckled in a ditch below a low bridge. The front part of the trailer burst open, and dozens of rectangular-shaped boxes, presumably containing tofu, poured out of the truck.
In a social media post, the fire department said cleanup has been slow as the Missouri Department of Transportation works with the truck company’s insurance carrier.
“As we have gathered, it has been a logistical nightmare. We have been given the runaround while attempting to recoup the costs that our department endured during the response and initial cleanup,” the post said.
MoDOT officials said they are working closely with the Department of Natural Resources and the Missouri State Highway Patrol to figure out how to get the truck out of the ditch.
“We are looking at a towing company to coordinate that removal, and it could begin as early as the end of this week,” said MoDOT Central District Communications Manager Marcia Johnson. “But it is going to be a time-consuming removal that could cause some traffic impacts.”
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Johnson added that the cleanup could be slightly more complicated than other operations because the wreck involves food products.
For residents nearby, the cleanup can’t come soon enough.
“In case you were wondering, tofu tends to stink pretty bad after sitting out for three weeks!” said the fire department’s post.
RICHMOND, Texas (KTRK) — Former Missouri City police officer Blademir Viveros was convicted of aggravated assault by a public servant on Monday.
After five days of witness testimony, body camera footage, and tears in the courtroom, the jury found Viveros guilty after he was accused of killing three people in a high-speed wreck while responding to an emergency.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Families of victims testify, state and defense rest cases in former MCPD officer manslaughter trial
Arguments closed just after 2:30 p.m. on Monday.
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Chief Prosecutor Alison Baimbridge made it clear throughout the trial that no stone was left unturned in the investigation in this case, saying that this crash was avoidable and not an accident.
Defense attorneys tag-teamed their closing argument, with Eric Cagle going first as he told the jury Viveros intended to help the victims of the robbery he was responding to.
Defense attorney Robert McCabe then spoke, adding that Viveros has a servant’s heart. He called the crash an accident and said that Viveros did not drive his car intentionally into the car of Mason and Angela Stewart.
McCabe told the jurors Viveros was negligent and should’ve done better, and mentioned the failures by the police department and his supervisors.
“This case just doesn’t belong here, it just doesn’t in this court…in criminal court…in criminal district court on a felony offense with a weapon, alleged for these facts. For this case, it doesn’t belong here. Justice comes in many forms and shouldn’t be sought in this court. There’s plenty of reasonable doubt.” McCabe said.
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“If you think about the facts in this case, they’re not disputed,” Baimbridge said. “Nobody is arguing that this crash did not happen in the way that the officers say it did. No one is arguing the defendant turned off his patrol lights and his sirens. No one is arguing he was going 107 miles per hour when he took lives from our community – he just wants a pass.”
After the closing arguments, the jury was sent out of the courtroom to deliberate. The jury then returned about two and a half hours later, finding Viveros guilty on all three counts of aggravated assault by a public servant.
The punishment phase of the trial begins on Tuesday morning. Viveros now faces five years to life in prison.
For updates on this story, follow Daniela Hurtado on Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Missouri Department of Transportation announced a segment of I-70 Drive Southeast from Woodridge to Glenstone Drive in Columbia will close beginning Monday after being delayed for 14 days.
The entrance to Woodridge Drive from I-70 Drive Southeast will also be closed. The closure is set to last 300 days and aims to be completed in January 2027, according to a news release from MoDOT.
The closure will enable crews to shift traffic on I-70 to construct two new bridges on I-70. This will allow the construction of the new underpass connecting Hanover Boulevard to I-70 Drive Southeast.
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All businesses will remain accessible during the closure. Motorists will be directed around the closure via Keene Street and St. Charles Road, according to the news release.
The closure was originally set for March 9. According to past KOMU 8 reporting, MoDOT postponed the project due to weather and crew availability.
