Missouri at West Virginia, Saturday, September 3

Kickoff: 12:00 PM EST, FS1

Missouri wins if: The defense is as good as advertised. We all know the great  neutralizer for an underdog road team is to control the line of scrimmage. That being said, this is Barry Odom’s first season as head coach. It would be an impressive and unexpected win in Morgantown. 

West Virginia wins if: The stage isn’t too big. West Virginia won eight games last year against teams they were supposed to beat. They lost to Oklahoma, Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State. Is Missouri on opening weekend on Fox Sports too big of a stage for a team who’s coach is on the hot seat? 

Player of the Game: Skyler Howard – QB, West Virginia

The West Virginia passing game is what gives the Mountaineers the slight edge over Missouri. While West Virginia has a solid running game, Missouri has just as good a run defense. Howard is going to build off of a strong closing to last season and win West Virginia the game. 

Prediction: West Virginia 30 – Missouri 17

This may be a close game in the first half, but I think Missouri’s going to have a rough second half. This will be a tough season for the Tigers and it starts in West Virginia.