Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Missouri Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for College Football Week 1

The Missouri Tigers enter the 2026 college football season as the No. 25-ranked team in the country. They finished tied for eighth in the SEC last year with a 4-4 conference record and an 8-5 overall record.

They're now looking to take a step forward in 2026 in their seventh year under head coach Eli Drinkwitz. The good news for Tigers fans is that they'll likely start their season with a win, as they're scheduled to take on an FCS team in Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday night.

There's little doubt that Missouri will win, but can they cover the massive point spread? Let's find out.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Missouri Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

Arkansas-Pine Bluff +53.5 (-110)
Missouri -53 (-110)

Moneyline

Arkansas-Pine Bluff N/A
Missouri N/A

Total

OVER 61.5 (-118)
UNDER 61.5 (-104)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Missouri How to Watch

Date: Thursday, September 3
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Memorial Stadium
How to Watch (TV): SEC Network
Arkansas-Pine Bluff record: 1-0
Missourirecord: 0-0

Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Missouri Betting Trends

Arkansas-Pine Bluff defeated Morehouse College 35-15 in Week 0
Missouri is 4-6 ATS in its last 10 games
The UNDER is 7-3 in Missouri's last 10 games

Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Missouri Key Player to Watch

Jamal Roberts, RB - Missouri Tigers

Jamal Roberts is returning for his junior year with Missouri, fresh off a sophomore campaign where he averaged a blistering 6.1 yards per carry. Missouri's starting running back, Ahmad Hardy, won't be with the team this season as he recovers from a gunshot wound to the leg in May of this year. That means Roberts will serve as the primary running back for the Tigers after being Hardy's backup last season. If he can continue averaging 6.1 yards per carry as their feature back, the Tigers will be in a good spot this season.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Missouri Prediction and Best Bet

It's extremely difficult to handicap games between FBS and FCS schools, as trying to compare the skill levels of the two teams and relate them to a massive point spread is hard to do. What we do know is that Missouri is poised to once again have one of the best rushing attacks in the country, which lowers the variability that a pass-first offense can have against a weaker opponent.

I'm willing to bet on the Tigers leaning on their run game and covering this massive spread on Thursday night.

Pick: Missouri -53 (-110) via FanDuel

Follow Iain on X and Instagram

Create a new FanDuel Sportsbook account, and you can get up to $1,000 in bonus bets. Register now and make a $5 wager each day for five days to claim your FanDuel promo code offer today.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!

Add us as a preferred source on Google