Before their was the Big 12, there was the Big 8. Two of the top teams from the old school Big 8 hit the gridiron in this year’s Liberty Bowl on Monday, Dec. 31. Missouri, now an SEC team, takes on high-flying Big 12 squad Oklahoma State. Which offense gets the upper hand in a bowl game with a close to 75 total?

Missouri vs Oklahoma State 2018 Liberty Bowl Spread & Analysis

5 days until #AZLB60! #MIZ #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/WY1yoUrxWj

— AutoZone Liberty Bowl (@AZOLibertyBowl) December 26, 2018

• When: Monday, Dec. 31 at 3:45 pm ET
• Where: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN
• TV: ESPN
• Radio: Missouri / Oklahoma State
• Live Stream: WatchESPN
• ATS Odds: Missouri -8 (-110)
• Over/Under Total Odds: 74.5 (-110)

Weather Forecast

• Overcast: 11^°C/51^°F
• Humidity: 87%
• Precipitation: 16%
• Wind: 7 mph WSW
• Cloud Cover: 91%
• Type of Stadium: Open

Why #23 Missouri Tigers are a good bet -8?

Missouri only finished 2 games behind Georgia in the SEC East Division. More impressively, the Tigers ended the regular season on a massive win streak.

Mizzou took down Florida 38-17 in the Swamp on Nov. 3. A week later, they beat Vanderbilt 33-28. Then, they dominated Tennessee on the road 50-17 and put a 38-0 beating onto Arkansas. Missouri’s scorching heading into the 2018 Liberty Bowl. Oklahoma State will find it difficult to cool down the hot Tigers.

Team Statistics

• Average Score For: 36.9
• Total Yards: 468.8
• Pass Yards: 271.6
• Rush Yards: 197.2

• Average Score Against: 24.4
• Total Yards: 379
• Pass Yards: 256.1
• Rush Yards: 122.9

Why Oklahoma State Cowboys are a good bet +8?

The Cowboys season started out with a 3-game winning streak. One of the victories was against tough Boise State. But, Oklahoma State ended the regular season losing 3-of-4.

The lone victory was a big one: 45-41 over West Virginia. The 3 losses were on the road against Oklahoma, Baylor, and TCU. If Oklahoma State can get their offense going early, they can manage to outscore Missouri in what figures to be a track meet.

Team Statistics

• Average Score For: 38.4
• Total Yards: 499.2
• Pass Yards: 306.7
• Rush Yards: 192.5

• Average Score Against: 32.4
• Total Yards: 437.1
• Pass Yards: 258.2
• Rush Yards: 178.8

2018 Liberty Bowl Trends for Missouri vs Oklahoma State

• Missouri is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
• Missouri is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Missouri’s last 5 games
• Oklahoma State is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Missouri
• Oklahoma State is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oklahoma State’s last 5 games

Missouri vs Oklahoma State Final 2018 Liberty Bowl Analysis

The trends point to Oklahoma State covering, but this Missouri team is different than in season’s past. The Tigers were supposed to be great on offense, and they have been by averaging close to 37 points per game.

They weren’t supposed to be this good on defense. In the two road victories to end the season, Missouri gave up only 17 points to Florida and Tennessee. They shut out Arkansas. Mizzou should get a couple more stops than what the Cowboys get. Those two extra stops will put Missouri over the top because they’ll turn the two stops into 14 points.

2018 Liberty Bowl Pick: Missouri Tigers -8