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Missouri football bowl projections: Where does national media have MU after Auburn win?

Last week, Missouri football was a consensus outsider among national bowl prognosticators.

Did a dramatic win over Auburn — securing bowl eligibility as it was MU’s sixth victory of the season — do anything to change the forecasters’ minds?

The voters in the AP and coaches poll both dropped Mizzou (6-1, 2-1 SEC) in the rankings after its 21-17, comeback win over AU.

More: Missouri football QB Brady Cook: From hospital to win over Auburn in one crazy afternoon

The bowl soothsayers are still doubtful, too.

Here is where major media outlets have Mizzou bowling after its win over Auburn and ahead of its trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for a matchup with the Crimson Tide:

More: Kickoff time, TV slot decided for Missouri football at Alabama. Here’s when Tigers play Tide

Action Network: Missouri football vs. Pittsburgh in Gator Bowl

Brett McMurphy of Action Network has Missouri ringing in the New Year in Jacksonville, Florida.

In Action Network’s updated predictions, McMurphy has tipped a matchup between Mizzou and currently undefeated ACC outfit Pittsburgh in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, which will take place Jan. 2 at EverBank Stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Tigers and the Panthers have only faced off one time in their histories, coming in a matchup all the way back in 1940. Mizzou has played in the Gator Bowl three times, but not for more than half a century. MU’s last game in the Gator Bowl, interestingly, was a 35-10 win over its next opponent, Alabama, in December 1968.

McMurphy has four SEC teams in the CFP field, with Georgia getting the auto-bid and Texas, Texas A&M and LSU getting at-large berths.

Oct 19, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Marcus Carroll (9) scores a touchdown during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Oct 19, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Marcus Carroll (9) scores a touchdown during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

ESPN: Liberty Bowl vs. TCU; Music City Bowl vs. Michigan

Kyle Bonagura of ESPN has picked Missouri to face TCU in the Liberty Bowl in his most recent projections. That matchup would take place on Dec. 27 in Memphis, Tennessee.

His colleague, Mark Schlabach, projected that the Tigers will face Michigan in the Music City Bowl. The matchup would take place at Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans, on Dec. 30 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Texas Christian currently is 4-3 with losses to Houston, SMU and UCF. The Horned Frogs beat Utah on Friday night on the road.

TCU was one of the teams to replace Missouri in the Big 12 in 2012 after the Tigers joined the SEC. The two teams have two past matchups, splitting a pair of games between 1989-90, both in Columbia.

Missouri has three previous appearances in the Liberty Bowl, most recently losing to Oklahoma State in 2018. The Tigers were supposed to play Iowa in the 2020 Music City Bowl, but the matchup was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michigan, the reigning national champion, is 4-3 with losses to Texas, Washington and Illinois this season. Mizzou hasn’t played Michigan since 1975, and the two teams have never faced off in a bowl.

Both Bonagura and Schlabach have Georgia and Texas as CFP qualifiers, and both picked fewer SEC teams than other outlets to join the pair in the 12-team field. Schlabach has Tennessee earning an at-large bid, while Bonagura did not select a third SEC team to earn a berth.

CBS Sports: Citrus Bowl vs. Indiana

Jerry Palm of CBS Sports has projected a Missouri-Indiana matchup in the Citrus Bowl, which will be played Dec. 31 in Orlando. This year, the Citrus Bowl gets the first pick of teams from the Big Ten and SEC that were left out of the CFP.

Citrus Bowl representatives were present at Memorial Stadium for MU’s win over Auburn on Saturday.

The Hoosiers, revived under first-year coach Curt Cignetti, are 7-0 this season and mounting a serious CFP run. IU defeated Nebraska 56-7 on Saturday, and next faces Washington at home.

Missouri last played Indiana in a home-and-home series between 2013-14. Mizzou won in Bloomington in the first game, and IU won the return leg in Columbia in 2014.

Mizzou’s last Citrus Bowl appearance was in the 2014 season, when it defeated Minnesota on Jan. 1, 2015.

Palm also has Georgia earning the auto-bid from the SEC to the CFP, and has three other SEC teams making the 12-team field: Texas; Texas A&M; and Alabama.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football bowl projections: Where MU stands after Auburn win