Missouri
Where national media has Missouri football pinned for postseason
Lost in the shuffle of Saturday’s dramatic double-OT win: Missouri football is bowl eligible.
No. 14/15 Missouri football secured its sixth win of the season and qualified for a postseason berth courtesy of a 23-17, double-overtime win over Auburn on Saturday in Auburn, Alabama.
Mizzou (6-1, 2-1 SEC) has bigger ambitions for the season, all of which are still on the table. MU’s trip to Vanderbilt (6-1, 2-1) this upcoming Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee, was selected as the College GameDay matchup, partly because both teams still have a say in the College Football Playoff and SEC title races.
We know it’s early. Missouri has five games left and a lot can and will change over the upcoming weeks and months.
But the Tigers are bowl eligible, so let’s see what folks are saying.
With five games left to play in the regular season, here is where various national media outlets have Missouri projected to play in the postseason in their updated bowl projections:
ESPN: ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Michigan; Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs. Duke
Neither Kyle Bonagura nor Mark Schlabach of ESPN have Mizzou in the College Football Playoff field, instead opting for Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas A&M out of the SEC — popular choices in most projections.
Bonagura, in his updated projections, has tabbed the Tigers for a ReliaQuest Bowl appearance on Dec. 31 in Tampa, Florida, against Michigan — a battle of the Block Ms. Michigan is currently 5-2 with a 3-1 mark in Big Ten play. One of the Wolverines’ losses this year was to Oklahoma.
Schlabach currently projects Mizzou to go to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a Jan. 2 game against Duke in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Duke is 4-3, but the Blue Devils have a 3-1 mark in ACC play and absolutely could factor into the conference’s title race.
Missouri has never appeared in either bowl game, but did travel to Tampa for the Gasparilla Bowl in 2022, when it lost to Wake Forest.
CBS Sports: Texas Bowl vs. TCU
Brad Crawford of CBS Sports projected that Missouri will take on TCU on Dec. 27 in the Texas Bowl in Houston.
The Horned Frogs are 5-2 with two losses in Big 12 Conference play, coming against Kansas State and Arizona State.
Mizzou last played in the Texas Bowl in 2017, falling to Texas under then-head coach Barry Odom.
Sports Illustrated: Liberty Bowl vs. Cincinnati
Bryan Fischer of Sports Illustrated has tabbed Missouri for a Jan. 2 game against Cincinnati in Memphis, Tennessee, in the Liberty Bowl. The Gator Bowl is one of the final non-CFP games on the college football calendar.
The Bearcats are ranked No. 21 in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll and shape up as a contender for the Big 12 title. They’re unbeaten through four games in conference play after losing their season-opening game against Nebraska in Kansas City.
The game would take place a day after the final College Football Playoff quarterfinals matchups.
Mizzou last played in the Liberty Bowl in 2018, losing to Oklahoma State.
Pro Football Sports Network: Texas Bowl vs Houston
Pro Football Sports Network’s updated prognostications have Mizzou facing Houston in its hometown in the Texas Bowl.
The Cougars are putting together a strong season under second-year head coach Willie Fritz, who was a longtime coach at Central Missouri in Warrensburg. Houston is currently 6-1, with its lone loss coming against Texas Tech.
Mizzou hasn’t faced the Cougars since 1994.