Missouri is set for a top-25 showdown with Boston College in Week 3 in Columbia. It is time to continue our college football odds series with a Boston College-Missouri prediction and pick.
The Tigers have picked up where they left off after an 11-2 season in 2023, as Eli Drinkwitz's team has earned blowout wins against Murray State (51-0) and Buffalo (38-0) to propel them to a No. 6 ranking. Missouri is the only team in college football that has yet to allow a point through the first two weeks of the season.
As for the Golden Eagles, new head coach Bill O'Brien has led the team to a spot in the Associated Press top 25 for the first time since 2018 after back-to-back victories over Florida State and Duquesne. Can the No. 24 team in the country score a second top-10 win in three games?
Here are the College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Boston College-Missouri Odds
Boston College: +16.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +490
Missouri: -16.5 (-105)
Moneyline: -720
Over: 53.5 (-110)
Under: 53.5 (-110)
How to Watch Boston College vs. Missouri
Time: 12:45 PM ET/9:45 AM PT
TV: SEC Network
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Boston College Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Boston College defense has been fantastic through two games.
While Missouri hasn't allowed a point, the Golden Eagles haven't been too shabby themselves in ranking 10th nationally in scoring defense. They're also seventh in the country in rushing defense (40.5 YPG), which will be important against an opponent that's already had five different players score a rushing touchdown this season.
There's also the efficient play of Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos. He has completed 19 of 26 passes for 340 yards and six touchdowns, meaning that nearly a third of his completions this season have put points on the board for the Golden Eagles. Castellanos' dual-threat ability (215 CARs, 1,113 YDs, 15 TDs in 2023) has already been on display as well, with the junior posting 15 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown.
For Boston College to cover the spread or win, it'll be about whether Castellanos can fuel enough scoring drives. Luckily, he's talented enough to do just that.
Keep in mind that Boston College was also a 16.5-point underdog entering its Week 1 matchup against Florida State.
The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 14-0 lead and didn't look back in notching a signature win to start the O'Brien era. The question is, can Boston College replicate the same formula against what is undoubtedly a more well-rounded team in Missouri?
Why Missouri Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Tigers can indeed do it all, and that's why they're a huge favorite in this matchup.
Brady Cook is off to a fine start in completing 71.6 percent of his throws thus far, and he's once again producing in the running game (9 CARs, 84 TDs, 3 TDs). He has an absurd number of playmakers around him, with wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. going off for 13 catches and 149 yards in the win over the Bulls. Then there's preseason First Team All-American Luther Burden III, who has seven catches for 64 yards and a touchdown in limited action thanks to the two dominant victories.
On defense, how do you score against Missouri? Perhaps to be more specific, how do you even gain positive yardage? Don't ask Murray State or Buffalo. They couldn't figure it out, as neither team notched more than 85 total yards. Boston College will likely eclipse that number, but it's not as though O'Brien and company have a recent game film that proves it can be done. That's how incredible the Tigers have been through two games.
Even more impressive is the fact that their defense is doing this despite losing five players to the NFL Draft and having only five returning starters on that side of the ball. They also had to replace their defensive coordinator Blake Baker, who left for LSU.
Drinkwitz is simply pushing all the right buttons right now, and this is a team that has all the necessary tools for a College Football Playoff run.
Final Boston College-Missouri Prediction & Pick
Another road win with this kind of spread seems unlikely, but there's reason to think the Golden Eagles can make this game interesting.
For as good as the Tigers have been on defense, Boston College presents a different challenge with the versatility of Castellanos and how they run their offense. It's the first real test of the season for Missouri, and O'Brien is an experienced enough coach to find the right game plan for success.
There's better value on the Golden Eagles if the spread hits the key number of 17 or more, but this still seems like a lot of points.
Final Boston College-Missouri Prediction & Pick: Boston College +16.5 (-115)
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