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ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) predicts the outcome of every college football game before each weekend. Somehow, 13 weeks have already flown by and now the model has been updated for rivalry week.
In the Battle Line Rivalry, the model sees Missouri as the favorite, giving the Tigers a 67.1% chance to win the game. This means the Razorbacks are getting just a 32.9% chance to pull off the upset in Columbia.
The Battle Line Rivalry’s first meeting was back in 1903. The game got its name from the dividing line between the states separating the North and South during the American Civil War. The teams have only played 15 times since then due to being in different conferences for much of the time. These rivals last met in 2023 when the Tigers won in a blowout, 48-14.
Overall, the Tigers have 11 wins in the series while the Razorbacks have 4. The last win for the Razorbacks in the series came in 2021 when the team won 34-17 at home.
Entering this matchup, the Tigers have an 8-3 record. The team’s 3 losses came to Texas A&M, Alabama, and South Carolina. The Razorbacks, meanwhile, enter the game with a 6-5 overall record. The Razorbacks’ signature win came against Tennessee back in October.
On offense, the Razorbacks have the edge in this game. The Razorbacks have the No. 9 total offense in the country while the Tigers have the No. 61 unit. The Tigers have the edge on defense, however, as the team boasts the No. 21 total defense. The Razorbacks have the No. 66 total defense through 13 weeks.
This game will kick off from Memorial Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Missouri is a 3-point favorite, via ESPN Bet.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
