Rece Davis predicts winner of Texas A&M-Missouri game

Rece Davis discussed the Texas A&M-Missouri matchup on ESPN’s College GameDay podcast, highlighting the Aggies’ balance and Missouri’s quarterback uncertainty.

ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis breaks down the Week 11 matchup between Texas A&M and Missouri. | Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images

Missouri enters the week searching for a fresh start after dropping two of its last three games and losing quarterback Beau Pribula for the season. The Tigers remain ranked No. 19 and still have plenty to play for, with undefeated No. 3 Texas A&M set to visit Columbia. Inside the locker room, the focus has shifted toward resilience and opportunity as players prepare for one of their toughest tests of the year.

“If you would have told us when we started fall camp that we would be ranked coming out of the second bye week with an opportunity for everything we want in front of us, and we get to play a top-10 team at home, would everybody have signed up for it? We all said yes,” Missouri coach Drinkwitz told his team.

Missouri’s situation is daunting. The Tigers have not beaten a top-five opponent since 2010 and have not defeated Texas A&M since 2014. Freshman quarterback Matt Zollers will be the first true freshman to start for Missouri since Drew Lock in 2015, inheriting a major challenge against an opponent with one of the nation’s best defenses.

Texas A&M, 8-0 and eyeing its first 9-0 start in more than 30 years, continues to play its most balanced football in years. Coach Mike Elko said his team must stay desperate and focused, reminding his players that “every single Saturday someone’s coming in and trying to take all of that from us.”

Rece Davis Picks Texas A&M To Beat Missouri

During ESPN’s College GameDay podcast, host Rece Davis discussed the matchup in detail and ultimately chose Texas A&M to stay unbeaten. Davis said Missouri’s offense, now led by Zollers, faces a steep climb against a disciplined Aggies team.

“Eli Drinkwitz has an opportunity to give Mike Elko his first loss yet,” Davis said. “Mizzou is down to a young quarterback, the third-teamer. Zollers looked really good — I think he’s going to be really good for them — but it’s a lot to ask. A&M has won games in a variety of ways. They won a slugfest against Auburn. They’ve won a couple of high-scoring games against Arkansas and against Notre Dame. That’s really the mark of a good team — an elite team, I should say. Not just a good team — an elite team — they can beat you in a variety of ways.”

Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) has accounted for 23 total touchdowns this season. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Davis added that he believes the Aggies’ experience will ultimately prevail. “I’ll take A&M, the way they’re playing right now. But they played so well at the end of their last game, sometimes it’s hard to bring that kind of performance back. Maybe Missouri can stick around and pull the upset, but I’m going with A&M.”

The matchup between Texas A&M and Missouri kicks off Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.