Alabama, Missouri Contest SEC Championship Game
The Southeastern Conference season comes to a close Saturday as No. 1 Alabama and No. 16 Missouri meet in the conference championship game in Atlanta.
Kickoff at the Georgia Dome is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. ET.
The SEC championship isn’t the only thing on the line either. With the College Football Playoff committee making its final decision on Sunday, Alabama will be looking to stake its claim as the top team in the nation. Missouri meanwhile will be hoping that a shock win over the Crimson Tide would be enough to catapult the team into the final four rankings.
After doing away with Auburn in the Iron Bowl, can Alabama book a trip to the College Football Playoff courtesy of an SEC title win?
The Story So Far
Alabama (11-1, 7-0 SEC) enters Saturday’s championship game almost as the heir apparent to the national championship.
The Crimson Tide climbed to No. 1 in the CFP rankings two weeks ago, a position the team is expected to finish in on Sunday. A rise to the top of bookmakers’ college football futures lists followed suit.
Nick Saban’s side has just one blemish on its record this season, a road loss to Mississippi two months ago.
Since losing in Oxford, Miss., the Tide has run off seven straight wins, including four victories over ranked opponents. A week ago, Alabama toppled Auburn in an Iron Bowl shootout to gain a measure of revenge for last year’s ‘Kick Bama Kick’ game. Now the team has its sights on a third conference championship under Nick Saban.
Missouri (10-2, 7-1 SEC) secured its second consecutive SEC East title a week ago with a dramatic come-from-behind win over Arkansas. Not bad for a team that many said wasn’t good enough to be playing in the SEC when it joined the conference in 2012.
The Tigers made a habit of dramatic wins this season, something critics are quick to point out. But while down seasons for Florida, Georgia and South Carolina played a part Missouri’s success this season, what the team did on the field was also important. What happens on the field this weekend might be enough to create football lore.
While few are willing to give Mizzou a chance heading into the championship game, head coach Gary Pinkel will know that his team will have a massive say in who goes on to win the national championship this year. A win doesn’t guarantee the Tigers a shot at the playoff – in fact, most believe Alabama is the only SEC team left in the mix – but it’s impossible to predict just how much emphasis the committee will place on being a conference champion. That means there’s everything to play for.
Head-to-Head
Alabama and Missouri have very little history against one another.
The two sides have met four times in the past, with each school winning a pair of games. Missouri picked up wins in 1968 and 1975, while Alabama was successful in 1978 and in 2012.
The 2012 showdown was the first SEC meeting between the two sides. Alabama ran away with that game, winning 42-10.
Injury Report
Missouri lineman Taylor Chappell (elbow) and running back Russell Hansbrough (ankle) are both listed as probable for Saturday’s game. Outside of that it’s plain sailing for the Tigers, at least in terms of injuries.
Alabama running back Kenyan Drake (ankle) and linebacker Ronnie Clark (Achilles) are both out for the season, while linebacker Denzel Devall (ankle) is out indefinitely.
Linebackers Reuben Foster (shoulder) and Ryan Anderson (shoulder) are amongst the Tide players listed as questionable.
Check out the full injury list: Alabama | Missouri
Will Maty Mauk and the Missouri Tigers cap off their SEC season with yet another upset?
Betting Report
Below you’ll find Betting Sports’ breakdown of odds and betting trends.
Missouri Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide odds for 12/06/2014
Moneyline: Alabama (-530) opened as the favorite over Missouri (+510) on the moneyline. That advantage has increased as the week has gone on.
Alabama is 4-1 away from Bryant-Denny Stadium this season, while Missouri is 5-0 when leaving Columbia behind.
Alabama is 4-4 in SEC title games, but 2-0 under Nick Saban. The Tide will be looking to win its third straight conference title game and fourth in five tries.
Missouri is 0-3 in conference championship games, having gone 0-2 as a member of the Big 12 before losing last year’s title game to Auburn.
Spread: Some unwitting sportsbooks opened with the spread at just 3 before sense prevailed and the line moved up to 14.5.
Missouri looks like a smart bet against the spread, if not straight up.
The Tigers are 8-4-0 ATS this season, including 5-0-0 ATS away from home and 5-1-0 ATS when considered the underdog.
Alabama is 3-8-1 ATS on the season, going 0-4-1 ATS away from Tuscaloosa and 3-8-1 ATS as the favorite (the Tide has not played as an underdog all season).
It was Alabama that covered the spread when the two sides met back in October 2012.
Total: The total opened at 48.5 and has remained steady.
Both Alabama (5-6-0 O/U) and Missouri (5-7-0 O/U) have favored the under this season.
The total has gone under in seven of Mizzou’s last 10 and five of Alabama’s last seven.
2012’s head-to-head meeting saw the over pay out.
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