SEC Football: Top 15 Out of Conference Games for 2016

9. Missouri at West Virginia

When: Saturday, September 3rd, 11am CT

Where: Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV

How to Watch: FS1

Last season was a tumultuous one for Missouri to say the least. The team went on strike in November over race relations issues on the Missouri campus, which lead to the president of the university’s resignation. Whether or not you believe that was a good move, the team certainly fared poorly on the field last season, where they went 5-7. Also, starting quarterback Maty Mauk was benched in favor of Drew Lock and then kicked off the team for using cocaine. Longtime head coach Gary Pinkel resigned after the season due to health issues.

Now, new head coach Barry Odom is hoping to put all the clutter of last season in the rear-view mirror. The best way to do that is to win games, which the Tigers may be poised to do. Lock is a talented, if still young, option at quarterback, the team has quality wide receivers, and Missouri always has a nasty defensive line. The only real question mark is can the offensive line improve.

West Virginia, on the other hand, is strong along the offensive line, where they return four out of five starters. Senior quarterback Skyler Howard played well last season also. On the defensive side of the ball however, things look much less rosy. The Mountaineers lost eight starters there, and the back eight in Dana Holgorsen’s 3-3-5 odd stack is almost completely annihilated.

Prediction: This should be another extremely compelling game. Missouri has questions on offense but is good on defense, while West Virginia has an explosive offense but has no defense to speak of. The saying is “Defense wins championships.” I doubt either of these teams will win a championship of any kind, but I do think Missouri wins this game. Their defense will hold West Virginia and their offense will do enough to eke out a tight win.

Next: Vols vs. Hokies