KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mizzou’s College Football Playoff dream was dashed with its last-minute meltdown at South Carolina, but coach Eli Drinkwitz’s squad is still bowl-bound for a fourth consecutive year.
It would be five straight seasons, but the Tigers bowed out of the 2020 Music City Bowl amid a COVID-19 outbreak within the team.
If MU beats Arkansas on Saturday and wins a bowl game, it will reach double-digit wins for the second consecutive season.
The Tigers have won 10-plus games seven times in the program’s 123-year history. That includes consecutive seasons in 2007-08 and 2013-14.
Four different bowl projections have Mizzou headed to the Las Vegas Bowl against Big Ten opponents, with three pegging USC as the opponent and the other putting the Tigers against Washington. (Yes, it’s still quite odd to call the Trojans and Huskies Big Ten teams!)
A post-Christmas visit to Sin City wouldn’t be the worst outcome for Tigers fans nor would projections that have the squad Florida-bound for a showdown with Louisville in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville.
Mizzou’s four-season bowl streak is tied for the second-longest in program history.
Gary Pinkel led the Tigers to seven consecutive bowl games from 2005-11 and Warren Powers also oversaw a four-season streak from 1978-81.
MIZZOU BOWL PROJECTIONS
CBS Sports: Music City Bowl vs. Michigan (Dec. 30)
ESPN Bonagura: Las Vegas Bowl vs. USC (Dec. 27)
ESPN Schlabach: Gator Bowl vs. Louisville (Jan. 2)
The Sporting News: Music City Bowl vs. Minnesota (Dec. 30)
Sports Illustrated: Texas Bowl vs. Kansas State (Dec. 31)
USA Today: Las Vegas Bowl vs. USC (Dec. 27)
Action: Gator Bowl vs. Louisville (Jan. 2)
Athlon Sports: Las Vegas Bowl vs. Washington (Dec. 27)
College Football Network: Las Vegas Bowl vs. USC (Dec. 27)
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