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Columbia Daily Tribune
Let’s make some Missouri football bowl game predictions. Ranking landing spots
- Story byColumbia Daily Tribune
- Let’s make some Missouri football bowl game predictions. Ranking landing spots
Missouri athletic director Laird Veatch has a priority in mind for Missouri football 's upcoming bowl game.
Mizzou closed its 2024 regular season Saturday with a 28-21 win over Arkansas on a snow-packed Faurot Field. Again, and for the final time on home turf, Brady Cook led a late game-winning drive to give the Tigers a 9-3 regular season record.
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That sends Mizzou into bowl season with a postseason matchup on the cards for a fourth straight season, although the Tigers have been eligible for five straight years under head coach Eli Drinkwitz. MU's 2020 bowl game was canceled due to the pandemic.
If MU (9-3, 5-3 SEC) wins its bowl game, it will have back-to-back double-digit win seasons for just the third time in program history .
More: Missouri football report card: How we graded Mizzou after beating Arkansas
More: Was that Luther Burden III's last Missouri football game? If so, here's his legacy
Veatch, during press availability at halftime of the Tigers' win over the Razorbacks , was asked about the process of bowl negotiations and what he considers most important.
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"To me, the bowl experience is first of all about who you're playing," Veatch said. "And, so, it can be a meaningful game against a brand that you want to play against. And ideally, it can be a place or location our fans want to get to. Something warm is always nice. But in the end, it's about the opponent."Here's where, using Veatch's criteria, we would like to see Mizzou land:
Opponent: Missouri football vs. Illinois in Music City Bowl
Let Mizzou and Illinois fight for Braggin' Rights in Nashville, Tennessee.
It's geographically convenient for both fanbases. It's a historic regional rivalry that hasn't been played since 2010. If fans want to make a vacation around the bowl game, there are worse options than Nashville for a Dec. 30 football game and an extra night to ring in the New Year.
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Illinois finished the season 9-3 and with a 6-3 mark in Big Ten play. That makes its record comparable to Missouri.
This should be the Tigers' top priority.
Nov 30, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Marcus Carroll (9) celebrates after scoring against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the second half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Location/occasion: Las Vegas Bowl vs. Colorado
Who says no?
The Las Vegas Bowl will pit an SEC school against a legacy Pac-12 outfit, as those teams — now dispersed across the country — will fulfill existing bowl agreements from their former conference through next year. That means teams like Colorado, USC and California are eligible, even though they play in new conferences.
Again, there's no love lost between the Colorado and Missouri fanbases dating back to their Big Eight days. Where better to send the Colorado show than the bright lights city? Who better to match their media parade than Eli Drinkwitz?
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It's a fair distance to travel but not an entirely inconvenient travel destination. The Dec. 27 game at Allegiant Stadium would likely tempt plenty into an impromptu flight.
The Buffs are going to be in high demand. Deion Sanders' team just missed out on a berth to the Big 12 title game with a 9-3 regular season and a 7-2 mark in conference play.
If Mizzou can make it happen, this is a home run.
Somewhere warm: Gator Bowl vs. Miami
Miami's path to the College Football Playoff likely closed with a loss to Syracuse on Saturday, which knocked it out of the ACC title game.
That opens up an in-state Gator Bowl trip on Jan. 2 in Jacksonville, Florida, for the Hurricanes.
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This one isn't close or particularly easy for MU fans to get to, but it would be a warm winter matchup. Plus, the Tigers have set up a solid recruiting pipeline from Florida, so a team trip down to the southeast could be a worthwhile endeavor.
This isn't our top-ranked option. But it is a fun matchup against a name-brand opponent.
Where can Missouri play its bowl game?
Nov 30, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz watches play against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Mizzou has six options for its bowl game, aptly named the Pool of Six bowls.
Those 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); and the ReliaQuest Bowl (Dec. 31, Tampa, Fla.); and the Gator Bowl (Jan. 2, Jacksonville, Fla.).
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The Tigers are likely too far back to get a berth to the Citrus Bowl, which takes the top-ranked SEC and Big Ten teams that are left out of the College Football Playoff.
When is bowl game schedule out?
Bowl games will be announced during a live selection show on ESPN on Sunday, Dec. 8.
Once the 12 CFP teams and Citrus Bowl matchup has been announced, conferences, athletic departments and the bowls will congregate and make a decision on each matchup.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football bowl game predictions. Ranking landing spots
