Missouri football bowl projections: Where national media has Mizzou pinned for postseason
Eli Drinkwitz wants you to know Missouri football is still in the College Football Playoff hunt.
Missouri football beat Oklahoma 30-23 on Saturday in Columbia in a mad dash to the finish line, as the Tigers scored two touchdowns in the final 63 seconds of the game to knock off the Sooners in the first game between the two teams in 13 years.
Immediately after the game on the SEC Network broadcast with sideline reporter Cole Cubelic, Drinkwitz said the win “keeps us in the playoff hunt. That’s right, I said ‘playoff.’”
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Some results need to fall in Missouri’s favor for that to happen, and the Tigers (7-2, 3-2) absolutely must win out, starting with their game Saturday at a ranked South Carolina team.
With three weeks left in the regular season, here is where various national media outlets have Missouri projected to play in the postseason after its comeback win over Oklahoma. Spoiler: They do not currently agree with the Mizzou head coach’s assessment.
ESPN: Las Vegas Bowl vs. Arizona State
Both Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach of ESPN are in agreement for the first time this season when it comes to Mizzou, predicting the Tigers will face Arizona State in Sin City on Dec. 27 in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Arizona State has been one of the surprises of the college football season, as the Sun Devils are 7-2 after Vegas gave them a preseason win total over/under of 4.5. Second-year head coach Kenny Dillingham has led ASU to Power-conference wins over Kansas, Oklahoma State, Utah, Mississippi State and UCF. The Sun Devils’ losses have come at Texas Tech and Cincinnati.
Mizzou and Arizona State split a home-and-home series played over 2011-12, and Missouri leads the overall series 4-3.
CBS Sports: Music City Bowl vs. Michigan
Jerry Palm of CBS Sports projected that Missouri will take on Michigan on Dec. 30 in Nashville, Tennessee, in the Music City Bowl.
The Wolverines, the reigning national champions, just lost for the fifth time this season, dropping a one-score road game against high-flying, 10-0 Indiana. At 5-5, Michigan needs a win against either Northwestern at home or Ohio State on the road to guarantee bowl eligibility.
Action Network: Gator Bowl vs. Louisville
Brett McMurphy of Action Network has tabbed Missouri for a Jan. 2 bowl game against Louisville in Jacksonville, Florida. The Gator Bowl is one of the final non-CFP games on the college football calendar.
Louisville is 6-3 with losses to Notre Dame, Southern Methodist and Miami. The Cardinals most recently defeated Clemson to ensure bowl eligibility.
Missouri’s only other game against Louisville in team history was a 34-3 win in Columbia in 1981.
USA Today: Las Vegas Bowl vs. USC
Erick Smith of USA Today’s prognostications have MU facing Southern California in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Since beating LSU to open the season — a game that also was played in Las Vegas — the Trojans’ season has gone sideways. USC is currently 4-5, with its only wins in its first year as a Big Ten team coming against Rutgers and Wisconsin.
Head coach Lincoln Riley benched starting quarterback Miller Moss before a loss to Washington on Nov. 2. The Trojans need two wins down the stretch, with games against Nebraska, UCLA and Notre Dame left on the schedule, to ensure bowl eligibility.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football bowl projections: Where Mizzou could play in postseason
