After a long and eventful college football regular season, the most wonderful time of the year is here. Bowl season has arrived and with it comes a myriad of interesting games between teams that we don’t often see paired up against each other in a neutral site setting. This year’s installment of the Co tton Bowl features the Missouri Tigers against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Will the Tigers finish a terrific 2023 season with a flourish, or can Ohio State finish off what has been a disappointing season with a victory? Here is my Missouri vs Ohio State Same Game Parlay for Friday’s matchup, which will be televised starting at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN.
One of the benefits of Same Game Parlays, of course, is that you can correlate the plays. That is the plan here, as Missouri winning correlates with Cody Schrader finding the end zone. Let’s break down each of the legs.
Missouri Tigers ML over Ohio State Buckeyes (+170)
Missouri’s offense is the story of this game. Tigers quarterback Brady Cook leads a lethal attack that includes running back Cody Schrader and slot receiver Luther Burden III, both of whom should cause problems for an Ohio State defense that is taking a major step up in class in this game. The Tigers are 7th in early downs EPA and 18th in EPA per pass this season, plus they’ve been similarly elite in drives crossing the opponents 40-yard line, a mark of a good team. On the other side, I fully expect that Ohio State is likely going to be without presumed top-5 pick Marvin Harrison Jr., along with most of its running backs and quarterback Kyle McCord, who recently transferred to Syracuse. The Buckeyes still have weapons on the outside, but I’m curious about how effective new QB Devin Brown will be in his first start on a massive stage.
Momentum and motivation matters in college football, and you could argue it always has mattered. These are both things that Missouri is thriving on at the moment. While more Ohio State players have decided to practice with the intent of playing in this bowl game, Missouri is the team with the vast majority of the motivation to make a statement in this spot. This is a Tigers team that is clearly on the ascent, while the Buckeyes feel a bit like they’re jogging in place after a disappointing end to their regular season. Give me Missouri to pull the outright upset on Friday.