Missouri vs Arizona State Spreads 2011 College Football Picks: The banged up No. 21 Missouri Tigers head to Tempe, Arizona this week for a showdown with the Sun Devils of Arizona State. The two BCS squads are scheduled for a Friday night meeting at Sun Devil Stadium, which will be broadcast live on ESPN starting at 10:30pm ET. The latest Missouri vs Arizona State spreads have ASU listed as a -8 against the spread home favorite; the game total is presently set at 53.5 points.
When Missouri kicked off fall camp, its primary concern was at quarterback where an inexperienced James Franklin took 
over for Blaine Gabbert. Now the Tigers have a number of issues with which to worry themselves thanks to a rash of injuries that have hit the club over the past five weeks.
The first domino to fall for Head Coach Gary Pinkel and his staff was the loss of senior left tackle Elvis Fisher. After Fisher went down, starting center Travis Ruth and wide receivers Jerrell Jackson and Gahn McGaffie were lost for at least the first two games of the season. Now, after last week's opener against Miami, OH, Missouri is without middle linebacker Will Ebner (ankle Sprain), defensive end Jacquies Smith (dislocated elbow), and running back Kendial Lawrence (broken leg).
On top of all its injury woes, Missouri looked a bit shaky, at least offensively, against the Redhawks, despite defeating the defending MAC champion 17-6. Franklin completed 17-of-26 passes for 129 yards, one touchdown, and one interception and he also carried the ball 14 times for 72 yards and one score. While those numbers were satisfactory, Franklin missed wide open receivers on several occasions, leading to a miserable 3-for-13 third down conversion rate for the Tigers.
The Tigers finished the game with a meager 15 first downs and 291 total yards, two totals which absolutely will not get the job done against the hosting Sun Devils.
Arizona State, a popular pick to win the Pac 12's new South Division, thumped UC Davis 48-14 in its opener, but the score could have been worse. Sun Devils head coach Dennis Erickson called off the dogs after his team built a 41-0 lead in the third quarter.
ASU tallied 24 first downs and 517 yards in the win as junior passer Brock Osweiler connected on 19-of-26 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns. The Sun Devils, led by tailbacks Cameron Marshall, Kyle Middlebrooks, and Marcus Washington, also rushed for 217 yards on 40 carries.
Arizona State will find the going a little tougher against the Tigers defense, but all of the injuries may be too much for Missouri to overcome. While eight points seems a little steep, the Sun Devils should get the win in this marquee contest.
Missouri vs Arizona State Spreads 2011 College Football Picks:
Missouri Tigers +8 (-110), Over 53.5 Points (-110)
Arizona State Sun Devils -8 (-110), Under 53.5 Points (-110)
