Missouri vs. Murray State odds: Early scoring for Tigers, Racers released

Why Missouri is a bubble team for the CFP

No. 11 Missouri will open its season in a weekday matchup where they have a clear advantage over Murray State.

According to FanDuel, Mizzou is the favorite over the Racers by 46.5 points (-110). The over-under for the game is 57.5 points.

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How to watch Murray State vs. Missouri

Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Channel: SEC Network, ESPN+
Location: Memorial Stadium (Columbia, Missouri)

The Tigers will face Murray State in Columbia on Thursday on the SEC Network. It will be one of two games that night to start the year in the Southeastern Conference, as Arkansas plays Arkansas Pine-Bluff a half hour earlier in Fayetteville on ESPNU.

More on Murray State vs. Missouri

Missouri and Murray State played one more time as openers in 2013. The Tigers won 58-14, amassing nearly 700 yards of offense at eight yards per play while forcing three turnovers on defense. That's a record in program history, as Mizzou has never lost to an FCS school.

The two are also connected by Orion Phillips, who transferred to Missouri from Murray State this season as a punter. He was the Racers' starter at that position last season before entering the portal to come to Missouri in December.

The Tigers enter this season ranked among the nation's top 12. This comes after a breakthrough fourth season under Eli Drinkwitz in 2023 in which they went 11-2. In the three seasons prior to that, they were 17-19 overall.

Now Missouri returns several starters from an offense that averaged 32.5 points per game and was a top-30 team in the country. That team includes QB Brady Cook and virtually all of its top receivers, led by WR Luther Burden in the passing game. They now just need to replace parts of their defense, including DC Blake Baker.

Murray State will begin its first season under new head coach Jody Wright in CoMo, coming off a 2-9 record last fall, including losses in its final seven games and nine of its final 10 games, after four years under Dean Hood.

Missouri is one of the few SEC teams hoping to make the College Football Playoff, and those hopes begin this Thursday when they enter the game as favorites with a 1-0 series lead and nearly 50 points ahead.