Iowa at Missouri

Iowa won four of its last five games while playing its usual great defense while topping Maryland 29-13 and Nebraska 13-10. Brendan Sullivan has recovered from a sprained ankle and will start as quarterback for the Hawkeyes, who are 5-2 ATS in their past seven December games. Missouri is 3-13 ATS in December. Sullivan played in eight games before being injured and had a 68.6 percent completion rate. His best game was against UCLA when he threw for 157 yards. Iowa will again lean on the defense to get the job done, and the Hawkeyes allowed only 17.1 points per game. They were #26 in the country regarding rushing yards allowed and #36 in pass defense. Missouri struggled against tougher competition, losing 41-10 to Texas A&M and 34-0 to Alabama. The Tigers also suffered a 34-20 defeat at South Carolina. Missouri will be without star wide receiver Luther Burden, who declared for the NFL Draft and is one of at least 10 opt-outs for the Tigers. Take Iowa.