Mizzou football vs. Georgia: Five things to know before Tigers’ biggest SEC challenge
This week’s Mizzou matchup comes at a good time with the release of the first College Football Playoff rankings.
On Tuesday, the No. 12 Missouri Tigers earned their first CFP ranking since 2020.
Mizzou headed into its bye week off an easy 32-12 win over South Carolina, but the Tigers (7-1) shouldn’t get too comfortable. Their biggest test of the season is this week against a team currently sitting in a playoff spot — and ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25.
The No. 2 (playoff ranking) Georgia Bulldogs are certainly a force to be reckoned with, especially in Athens. This season, Georgia is scoring 40.5 points per game while only allowing an average of 14.8.
The Bulldogs are coming off a dominant 43-20 win over Florida last week. It might seem like Mizzou has all the odds stacked against it; can the Tigers hang around and pull off the upset?
Here’s what you need to know about the matchup...
Mizzou football vs. Georgia game details
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4
Where: Sanford Stadium (Athens)
TV: CBS
Radio: Tiger Radio Network
Early betting line: Georgia is a 15.5 point favorite. The over/under is set at 54.5.
Five things to know: Mizzou vs. Georgia
Georgia hasn’t lost a regular-season game since 2020. The Bulldogs are on a 35-game regular-season win streak, dating back to their 44-28 loss against Florida in 2020. Overall, Georgia hasn’t lost a game period since the 2021 SEC Championship game, falling to Alabama 41-24. The Bulldogs haven’t lost at Sanford Stadium since the 2019 double-overtime game against South Carolina.
... And Kirby Smart has yet to lose to the Tigers. Since taking over the Bulldogs in 2016, Smart has gone undefeated in seven contests against the Tigers. Additionally, Georgia hasn’t lost to Mizzou in Athens since 2013.
The betting line is the largest the Tigers will have to overcome this season. FanDuel has the line at Georgia minus-15.5, the largest spread Mizzou has faced as an underdog this season. They’ve been underdogs two other times, by 3.5 points against K-State and 5.5 points against LSU.
QB Carson Beck and the Bulldogs got along just fine last week, even without star TE Brock Bowers. When Bowers went down with a high ankle sprain against Vanderbilt last month, many wondered how Georgia would adjust without their possible Heisman contender. Beck answered those questions by going 19-for-25 passing with 315 yards and two touchdowns last week against Florida.
Every team has a weakness. Could Georgia’s be red-zone D? It’s somewhat surprising for this Georgia defense, but when the Bulldogs let their opponent in the red zone, they can’t seem to stop them. Their opponent red-zone scoring percentage is ranked 99th in the country, whereas the Tigers’ red-zone offense is ranked first at 97.1%. There are very few things the Bulldogs don’t do well, but if the Tigers can reach the red zone, there could be chances to finish drives with touchdowns.
