Missouri football bowl projections: Where national media predicts Mizzou to play

Posted by Admin November 26, 2024 Football

Missouri football has been bowl eligible for more than a month, securing the eligibility-sealing sixth win back on Oct. 19 against Auburn.

With two wins and two losses since then, an 8-3 overall record, and with Arkansas on Saturday at home left on the schedule, the Tigers’ potential bowl destinations have narrowed. The College Football Playoff dream is shot; the Citrus Bowl is likely just out of reach; the lower-tier bowls are in the rearview.

Mizzou, as the Tribune noted Saturday after the Tigers’ win over Mississippi State, is likely to fall into one of the six aptly named, SEC-affiliated Pool of Six bowls.

Those, ordered by date, are as follows:

The Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 27, Las Vegas); the Liberty Bowl (Dec. 27, Memphis, Tenn.); the Music City Bowl (Dec. 30, Nashville, Tenn.); the Texas Bowl (Dec. 31, Houston); the ReliaQuest Bowl (Dec. 31, Tampa, Fla.); and the Gator Bowl (Jan. 2, Jacksonville, Fla.).

So, where will it be? Mizzou won’t have an answer until Dec. 8, when ESPN will hold a live selection show. Here is where the national media has Missouri projected to play its bowl game.

Hint: Jacksonville and Vegas are popular landing spots.

Action Network: Missouri football vs. Louisville in Gator Bowl

Brett McMurphy of Action Network has Missouri projected to play Louisville in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.

Louisville is 7-4 this season with a 5-3 mark in ACC play, which will fall short of making the conference title game. The Cardinals have a nonconference game against Kentucky to close the season.

Mizzou has not played in the Gator Bowl since 1968, when coach Dan Devine’s Tigers knocked off the legendary Bear Bryant’s Alabama, 35-10.

ESPN: Las Vegas Bowl vs. USC, Gator Bowl vs. Louisville

Mark Schlabach of ESPN also has the Tigers facing Louisville in the Gator Bowl in his updated bowl projections.

His colleague Kyle Bonagura, however, has Missouri heading west to face USC in the Las Vegas Bowl, which is played on Dec. 27 at Allegiant Stadium in Sin City.

USC became bowl-eligible Saturday night by beating UCLA on the road and getting its sixth win of the season. The Trojans close their season against Notre Dame on Saturday in Los Angeles.

USA Today: Las Vegas Bowl vs. USC

Erick Smith of USA Today also is sending Mizzou to the desert to play Southern California.

Missouri has never played a bowl game in Las Vegas. The last time Mizzou played USC was in 1977, when the Tigers lost 27-10 in Columbia.

CBS Sports: Music City Bowl vs. Michigan

Jerry Palm of CBS Sports hasn’t wavered on his projection for Mizzou in multiple weeks: It’s the Music City Bowl vs. reigning national champion Michigan on Dec. 30 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Wolverines became bowl eligible on Saturday by hammering Northwestern 50-6 at home. Coached by Sherrone Moore, Michigan has just ‘The Game’ to play in the regular season, as it heads to Columbus, Ohio, to face Ohio State this upcoming Saturday.

Mizzou has never made it all the way to the Music City Bowl. The Tigers were scheduled to play Iowa in the 2020 edition of the bowl game, but the game was canceled due to the pandemic.

If this projection plays out, it would be the second straight year Missouri has played a Big Ten bigwig in its bowl game, as the Tigers defeated Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl last season.