Missouri State Bears Odds

Missouri State Bears 2025 Season Preview

Missouri State football enters a historic 2025 season as it transitions to the FBS level and joins Conference USA. After years of modest success at the FCS level—including a 492-532-39 all-time record and just one playoff win in five appearances—the Bears are aiming for a fresh start under third-year head coach Ryan Beard (12–11 career record). 

Their FBS debut comes on a national stage with an opening-night matchup at USC on August 30, and fall camp has already revealed key position battles and roster shifts that will shape the new era.

The offense will be led by veteran quarterback Jacob Clark, while the backfield gets a major boost from sixth-year senior Shomari Lawrence. A transfer from Florida International and a preseason All-C-USA selection, Lawrence brings valuable FBS experience and big-play potential after a productive 2023 season. The Bears also return key weapons at receiver and have retooled the offensive line despite some offseason injuries.

Defensively, Missouri State is counting on former four-star recruits like edge rusher DJ Wesolak and defensive end Davon Townley Jr. to step into leadership roles. Wesolak, after limited snaps at Mizzou and Oregon State, could finally break out in a starting role. The linebacker corps is entirely new, but there's optimism thanks to experienced transfers and high-upside youth. The secondary remains the biggest question mark heading into camp, with several players vying for starting cornerback spots.

With a mix of returning talent, experienced transfers, and a coaching staff that has developed players well in recent years, the Bears are aiming to be competitive in their first FBS season. While growing pains are expected, the foundation is in place for Missouri State to make a decent debut in C-USA for the 2025 season.

Let's see how to bet on Missouri State as they move to the big leagues of college football in 2025.

Betting on the Missouri State Bears

Missouri State Point Spread

Missouri State will get a lot of betting interest this season since they are new to the FBS. A spread bet is a wager on how much a team will win or lose by, so a team can cover the spread without winning the game, or vice versa, depending on the odds. Here’s an example of a Bears spread:

• Missouri State +10.5 (-110)
• USC -10.5 (-110)

If Missouri State loses the game by 10 points or less, or even wins the game outright, then the spread bettor on the Bears would win. But if USC were to win by 11 points or more, then that would mean the Trojans covered the spread.

Missouri State Over/Unders

Over/unders, or totals, are bets on how many points will be scored in a game. The Bears are looking to keep up their hot offense in 2025, so the overs will be an interesting wager to think about.

For example, if you bet over 44.5 for the Bears' game against USC, you would need the total to end up at 45 or more to win the better. If it was 44 or less, you'd lose the bet since the under hit.

Missouri State Moneylines

A moneyline bet is the simplest of them all: just pick who you think would win. Let's look at an example with Missouri State playing Liberty:

• Missouri State +130
• Liberty -156

Let's say you think Missouri State can win as the underdog on the road against Liberty. You put $10 down on them at +130 odds. If Missouri State wins, you'd profit $13, and get your $10 back too, giving you $23 total. If they lose the game, then you're out 10 bucks! That's the risk of sports betting. 

Missouri State Props

Want to bet for (or against) specific Missouri State players? Player props are just that, allowing you to bet over or under on a specific player’s stat line for the game.

For example, you could bet on QB Jacob Clark's passing yards or RB Shomari Lawrence's total rushing yards, among many others.

Missouri State Futures

Examples of Missouri State futures in 2025 are over/under on wins during the season, miss/make the playoffs, to win their conference, and various players' statistics or odds to win certain end-of-season awards.