When the Week 9 point spreads were released on Sunday, two lines from the SEC jumped out immediately. Missouri, 4-3 on the season but a team without a single conference win, was favored by a touchdown over 6-1 Kentucky. The other was a struggling 4-3 Mississippi State slightly favored over 5-2 Texas A&M.

Part of that has to do with Missouri and Mississippi State playing at home but if those point spreads perplexed you when you first saw them, you aren’t alone — Kirk Herbstreit is feeling much the same.

The ESPN college football analyst and College GameDay host broke down his thoughts on those two games during his latest Herbstreit & Fitzsimmons ESPN college football podcast after being asked by co-host Ian Fitzsimmons what was going on with those lines.

Here’s what the GameDay host had to say about first, about the Kentucky-Missouri game:

“I think Kentucky is a team that right now they are winning with defense and running the ball, so their margin of error is paper thin. They are not a team that’s going to spread you out and throw it 50 times, throw for 400 yards, score 40 points and beat you in a shootout. It’s just not how they are wired. So every time that they play, people have question marks,” Herbstreit said.

“They won last week, 14-7, they need to kinda control the game, take the air out the ball. I think what Vegas sees, is they see Drew Lock and an offense that can score a lot of points, close to 500 yards of total offense, close to 40 points per game, now they give up 30 but they are scoring 40, so they are the anthesis of Mark Stoops and Kentucky. This seems to be on ‘Kentucky can’t score with Missouri, therefore, Missouri should be the favored team,’ that’s the only thing I can think of and for me, I think Kentucky has a special thing about them this year.

“Despite all the numbers and not throwing the ball well, I think defensively they will find a way to get pressure, I think the secondary can match up athletically with the Missouri receivers and I’m going to give Kentucky the nod to go on the road and get it done. I think they will.”

So Missouri being favored in that game does make some sense and there’s logic to why that may be, although Herbie is still rolling with Stoops Troops against Barry Odom’s program. On the other hand, the other SEC game discussed is far more perplexing. Why is Texas A&M an underdog coming off a bye week? That’s why the ESPN analyst can’t figure out and he plans to take advantage of that line.

“I’m a big A&M guy. I don’t know, what in the world – how Mississippi State (is favored) other than they are at home. I have no idea,” Herbstreit said. “That’s another offense that is one dimensional, they can’t throw the ball. A&M plays big-boy defense, they will take away your strength and make you go to your pass game. Kellen Mond and the receivers and Trayveon Williams, there is a lot to like about A&M. A&M may not lose another game the rest of the year. They are an underdog this week in Starkville. I like the money line there, isn’t that what it’s called? The money line for A&M to win outright.”

So there you have it, Herbie likes the Aggies to go on the road and win this game outright.