ESPN’s FPI predicts the outcome of Battle Line Rivalry in Week 14

ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) predicts the outcome of every college football game before each weekend. Somehow 13 weeks have already passed and now the model has been updated for rivalry week.

In the Battle Line Rivalry, the model has Missouri as the favorite, giving the Tigers a 67.1% chance of winning the game. That means the Razorbacks only have a 32.9% chance of pulling off an upset in Columbia.

The first meeting of the Battle Line Rivalry took place in 1903. The game takes its name from the dividing line between states that separated the North and South during the American Civil War. The teams have only played 15 times since then, as they played in different conferences most of the time. These rivals last met in 2023, when the Tigers won comfortably 48:14.

Overall, the Tigers have 11 wins in the series while the Razorbacks have 4. The Razorbacks’ last win in the series came in 2021, when the team won 34-17 at home.

Entering this match, the Tigers have a record of 8-3. The team’s three losses came to Texas A&M, Alabama and South Carolina. The Razorbacks, meanwhile, enter the game with an overall record of 6-5. The Razorbacks celebrated their decisive victory against Tennessee in October.

The Razorbacks have the edge on offense in this game. The Razorbacks have the No. 9 overall offense in the country, while the Tigers have the No. 61 offense. However, the Tigers have the edge on defense as the team boasts the No. 21 overall defense. The Razorbacks have had the No. 66 overall defense for 13 weeks.

This game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Missouri is a 3-point favorite, according to ESPN Bet.