Mizzou is Gator Bowl-bound for Jacksonville

Like many in late December, Mizzou football is headed to the Sunshine State. 

The Tigers will play Virginia in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 27 at 6:30 p.m. in Jacksonville, Fla. The Gator Bowl announced Mizzou's participation in the bowl on its Instagram, while On3's Brett McMurphy first reported the news of the Tigers playing UVA. 

The game will be held at EverBank Stadium, home of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars.

MU will look to finish with at least nine wins for the third straight season, which has never been done by a Mizzou team before. It'll also look to win three bowl games in three straight seasons for the first time in program history. The Tigers won the Cotton Bowl in 2023 and the Music City Bowl in 2024. 

Mizzou has played in the Gator Bowl three times. In 1948, the Tigers lost to Clemson 24-23. The following year, they were dominated by Maryland 20-7. In 1968, Mizzou handed Alabama its worst loss since 1957, throttling the Crimson Tide 35-10. 

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Mizzou is Gator Bowl-bound for Jacksonville

Virginia finished the regular season 10-2, just its second 10-win season in program history (the other was in 1989). The Cavaliers fell to five-loss Duke 27-20 in the ACC title game, where a win almost certainly would have put UVA in the College Football Playoff. 

Mizzou has only played Virginia once. The Tigers beat the Cavaliers 31-7 in 1973. 

The Cavaliers have played in the Gator Bowl twice. They lost 48-14 to Oklahoma in 1991, and 16 years later, they lost 31-28 to Texas Tech. 

Jacksonville is about a 15-hour car ride from Columbia. The quickest way to get there, according to Google Maps, involves taking the interstate through St. Louis, Nashville, Tenn. and Atlanta.