The Illinois Fighting Illini (#20) and the Missouri Tigers (#6) will renew their "Bragging Rights" rivalry this Saturday, August 30th at 8:35pm ET at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, MO. Both teams are coming off fantastic seasons and they return some major pieces from last year. College football pick odds at SBGglobal.com have the Tigers as -9 favorite for the nationally televised ESPN game.
Head Coach Gary Pinkel captured his first Big XII North title last season as Missouri stormed through the division on their way to a 12-2 finish. Quarterback Chase Daniel was the catalyst for an offense that produced 39.9 points per game and he will again be under center for the Tigers this year. Joining Daniel are six other offensive starters from a year ago, including the dynamic wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and stand out tight end Chase Coffman.
Missouri also returns eight starters from a tough 2007 defense. This will be Pinkel's eight year at Missouri, and he may be over seeing his best squad ever.
Ron Zook's Illinois team surprised everyone last season by earning a trip to the Rose Bowl and finishing the year at 9-4. The Fighting Illini absolutely punished teams in 2007 with their ground attack, averaging 257 yards per game and 5.6 yards per carry. However, running back Rashard Mendenhall departed to the NFL and he will be missed. Despite the loss of Mendenhall, Illinois should be a very solid team and quarterback Juice Williams is one of the best talents in college football.
The key match up on Saturday will be a strong Illinois defensive line versus a Tiger offensive line that has experience but lost starters at center and left tackle. Oklahoma gave Missouri trouble in the Big XII title game last year by getting pressure on Daniel.
SBGglobal.com's line for Illinois vs Missouri:
Illinois Fighting Illini +9 (-110)
Missouri Tigers -9 (-110)
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