Like many in late December, Mizzou football is headed to the Sunshine State.
The Tigers will play Virginia in the Gator Bowl at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, in Jacksonville, Florida. The Gator Bowl announced Mizzou's participation in the bowl on 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.
“There is nothing better than college football on a Saturday in primetime! We are honored to celebrate the 81st playing of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl,” said Gator Bowl Chairman Sara Pomposo in a statement. “This game carries tremendous pride and reverence for our membership and our community. The opportunity to host two top-tier teams in Virginia and Missouri as well as their players, coaches and fans to our city for a great week of activities celebrating both programs’ successful seasons.”
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.
"We are excited to have the opportunity to be part of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl and look forward to playing an outstanding Virginia team on ABC,” Mizzou head coach Eliah Drinkwitz said in a statement. "Jacksonville is the perfect bowl game for our team to finish the season against one of the best teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference."
"I want to challenge our fans and alumni to come and support us in Florida as we try to become the first team in Mizzou history to win nine games in three straight seasons. This is a special team that has worked very hard to put themselves in this position and we look forward to ending the season on a high note."
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.
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. The Cavs are 19th in the CFP rankings and No. 20 in the AP poll.
Mizzou (NR/No. 25) 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.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.