After finishing the regular season 11-1, the Ohio State Buckeyes take on the 10-2 Missouri Tigers as field goal favorites in a game with a 49.0-point total. Let’s dive into our Missouri-Ohio State odds, pick and prediction for this year’s Cotton Bowl Classic. If you’re looking for more college football bets, check out our college football betting tools and our guide to betting on football.
Cotton Bowl Classic Pick: Missouri-Ohio State Bet
Cotton Bowl Classic Odds
Odds via bet365
Missouri: +125 | Ohio State: -150
Missouri +3.0: -110 | Ohio State -3.0: -110
Over 49.0: -110 | Under 49.0: -110
Expert: Matt Gajewski
Time: Friday, Dec. 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET
Missouri-Ohio State News & Notes
Missouri Absences: CB Ennis Rakestraw, LB Ty’Ron Hopper, LB Chad Bailey
Missouri Coaching Changes: N/A
Ohio State Absences: QB Kyle McCord, RB Miyan Williams, RB Chip Trayanum, WR Julian Fleming, TE Joe Royer, S Lathan Ransom
Ohio State Coaching Changes: N/A
Missouri-Ohio State Comparison
| Metric | Missouri | Ohio State |
|---|---|---|
| Pace | 76th | 82nd |
| Overall Offense | 15th | 16th |
| Run Blocking | 3rd | 39th |
| Pass Blocking | 34th | 74th |
| Pass Rate | 84th | 56th |
| Overall Defense | 57th | 5th |
| Run Defense | 81st | 9th |
| Pass Rush | 42nd | 8th |
| Coverage | 48th | 6th |
Cotton Bowl Classic Pick & Prediction
In perhaps the most competitive non-College Football Playoff game, Ohio State takes on Missouri as a field goal favorite. Interestingly, both teams will deal with minimal opt outs after elite seasons. Ohio State dropped their season finale to Michigan, putting it at 11-1. Similarly, Missouri lost close games against LSU and Georgia, giving it 10 solid wins.
The Buckeyes lost starting quarterback Kyle McCord to the transfer portal. Aside from him, this unit only lost a few depth pieces like wide receiver Julian Fleming. Elite players like Marvin Harrison Jr., TreVeyon Henderson and Emeka Egbuka have yet to opt of this game. This doesn’t mean they will play a full game, but they tentatively project to suit up right now. This gives backup Devin Brown an elite cast of skill position players, despite a relatively unproven game under center.
The Tigers lost a few players to injury/transfer/NFL in corner Ennis Rakestraw, linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper and linebacker Chad Bailey. While still above average, this unit certainly has cracks. Overall, Missouri ranked 81st in run defense, which could pose problems against Henderson and a fairly intact offensive line.
Missouri also projects to field a fully healthy offense led by Brady Cook under center. Cook finished with a 65.9% completion percentage for 9.1 yards per attempt, 20 touchdowns and 10 turnover-worthy plays. He also displayed solid mobility with 253 yards rushing. Better yet, he plays behind an offensive line allowing a solid 19.8% pressure rate, which will be important against an elite Ohio State pass rush. Finally, skill players Cody Schrader, Luther Burden and Theo Wease all project to suit up here. For reference, this offense had no problem scoring against an SEC schedule.
The Buckeyes defense also had minimal opt outs, despite numerous players projected to reach the NFL. Only Lathan Ransom will miss and that is due to injury. This defense ranked top 10 in every single major metric. However, it faced very few elite offenses behind a Big Ten schedule. It did allow 30 points to Michigan in the season finale, but this defense still stacks up among the best in the country. It wouldn’t be surprising to see some Ohio State players on a snap count with their NFL futures, which could be enough for Missouri to land an outright win.
Cotton Bowl Classic Pick & Prediction and our Missouri-Ohio State Bet: Missouri +3 (-110) at bet365
