Kentucky vs. Missouri: TV channel, initial odds and an early prediction

After a lackluster performance against Vanderbilt, Kentucky heads to Missouri on Saturday in what is sure to be a tough road challenge.

Missouri looked sharp over the weekend, demolishing Memphis 65-33 at home. The Tigers are now 4-3 on the season but remain winless in conference play.

Most experts have pointed to this game as one of UK’s biggest remaining obstacles on the schedule. The Cats will also be an underdog when the ball is kicked off in Columbia. 52,917 fans packed Memorial Stadium for Missouri’s game against Memphis, a non conference opponent, you can count on it being a wild environment as the Tigers seek their first SEC win against Kentucky.

With a sputtering offense as of late, UK is going to be forced to figure out a way to put some points on the board. Led by quarterback Drew Lock, Missouri is averaging over 38 points per game on the season, so Kentucky must find a way to produce more points to keep up with the Tigers’ high-scoring offense.

It’s nearly November, and Kentucky is still in the drivers seat for the SEC East. A loss to Missouri actually doesn’t prevent Kentucky from being first place in the division if they beat Georgia the following week. However, it does mean that road matchup with Tennessee becomes a must-win game to win the East.

But if Kentucky doesn’t beat Georgia, then a win over Missouri is crucial to remaining in contention for a New Year’s Six bowl.

Missouri Tigers vs. Kentucky Wildcats

Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST on October 27th

TV Channel: SEC Network

Radio: Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro and Dick Gabriel will have the UK radio network call.

Online Stream: WatchESPN

Odds: Kentucky opened as a 6-point underdog. While that’s a big spread, their offense as of late makes it easy for oddsmakers to make the Tigers a significant favorite.

Prediction: Currently, ESPN gives the Tigers a 64.5-percent chance of winning. TeamRankings projects a 30-24 Missouri win. numberFire is going with a 31-24 Tigers win.

How do you see Saturday’s game playing out?