On Sunday afternoon, the final College Football Playoff rankings for the 2024-25 season were released, accompanied by the announcement of bowl game selections for the postseason.
The Missouri Tigers (9-3), who finished seventh in the SEC and ranked No. 19 in the country, were selected to the TransPerfect Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee, on Dec. 30. Their opponent will be the Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4), who finished sixth in the Big Ten.
Mizzou and Iowa were scheduled to meet in the Music City Bowl in 2020, but positive COVID-19 tests within the Tigers' program resulted in the game being canceled. This year gives Mizzou an opportunity to make its first-ever appearance in the Music City Bowl.
The history between the Hawkeyes and Tigers is limited, as the two programs have faced each other only once since 1910. That matchup ended in a thrilling 27-24 Iowa victory in the 2010 Insight Bowl.
"It's an honor to be selected to participate in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl," Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. "We're looking forward to the opportunity to play at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. It's a great market for our alumni and fanbase, and I know we'll have an excited crowd. Our team has worked extremely hard to achieve this goal, and we are looking forward to preparing and playing against a terrific Iowa squad. I'm just thankful I get to coach this special group of men for one more game this season."
Last season, Mizzou earned a hard-fought 14-3 victory over Ohio State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl. The Tigers are looking to improve on their all-time bowl record of 16-20.
With NFL futures on the horizon for many of Mizzou's top players, it remains to be seen how strong the team’s brotherhood is and whether everyone will suit up for the Tigers. Luther Burden and Armand Membou have already declared for the NFL Draft, and it'll be interesting to see if anybody else opts out of the game.