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Missouri's football team has secured a postseason berth, but the Tigers' bowl destination remains uncertain as they navigate the final stretch of the regular season. At 6-2 overall and 3-2 in SEC play, Missouri is coming off a 34-10 victory over Arkansas last Saturday in Fayetteville.
The Tigers will host Texas (6-2, 3-2) on Nov. 7 in Columbia, a matchup that will essentially function as a College Football Playoff elimination game between two-loss SEC teams. The winner will keep its playoff hopes alive, while the loser will likely be relegated to a major bowl game.
National prognosticators are not yet sold on Missouri's playoff candidacy, and that skepticism is understandable. The Tigers' next three opponents—Texas, Georgia, and Kentucky—are all currently ranked in the top 12 of the national polls. Missouri likely needs to emerge from that stretch unscathed to be considered for the playoff, though the selection committee's first set of CFP rankings on Tuesday, Nov. 3, will provide a clearer picture of how the current landscape is viewed.
With four regular-season games remaining, here is where various national media outlets project Missouri to play in the postseason:
ESPN: Las Vegas Bowl vs. Arizona; Liberty Bowl vs. Baylor
Mark Schlabach of ESPN projects the Tigers to head to Las Vegas for a bowl game against Arizona, while his colleague Kyle Bonagura has Missouri going to Memphis for a matchup with Baylor in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Missouri has never played a bowl game in Las Vegas and has not faced Arizona since 1967. The Tigers last appeared in the Liberty Bowl in 2018, a loss to Oklahoma State.
CBS Sports: Liberty Bowl vs. UCF
Brad Crawford of CBS Sports also projects Missouri to play in the Liberty Bowl, but his forecast has the Tigers heading to Memphis for a matchup with Scott Frost's UCF. The Knights are currently 4-4 overall and 2-3 in Big 12 play.
Sports Illustrated: Music City Bowl vs. Michigan
Bryan Fischer of Sports Illustrated envisions a battle of Block M schools in Nashville, Tennessee: Missouri vs. Michigan in the Music City Bowl. It has only been two years since the Tigers last played in Nashville in the postseason, defeating Iowa in the 2024 Music City Bowl. That does not necessarily disqualify Missouri from returning to the Dec. 30 matchup at the Tennessee Titans' stadium.
Athlon Sports: Texas Bowl vs. Oklahoma State
Athlon Sports projects a trip to Houston for a matchup with old Big 12 foe Oklahoma State in the Texas Bowl on New Year's Eve. Missouri's last trip to the Texas Bowl was in 2017 for a game against Texas. The Tigers have faced Oklahoma State—now coached by Eric Morris—in two bowl games since joining the SEC.
Originally reported by yahoo.