Kirk Herbstreit is the only College GameDay Analyst to have Mizzou in the playoff
By Zach Sweet
With the college football season kicking off on Saturday, America's favorite pregame show is back as well. The College GameDay crew, among the best in the business, is hosted by Rece Davis and features the likes of Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, and Nick Saban on a weekly basis.
In honor of the new season, the College GameDay crew revealed their predictions for the College Football Playoff. While it's clear that each member has a bias toward their former programs, the fact that only one of them included Missouri in the playoff feels like an oversight. This should light a fire under the Tigers and hopefully help them regain their "Something To Prove" (STP) mindset for 2024.
Just one-of-four college gameday analysts have #Mizzou in the College Football Playoff. Shoutout @KirkHerbstreit, but clearly Mizzou will still have the #STP mindset this season.
— Zach Sweet (@zsweetness27) August 24, 2024
With the new twelve-team playoff format, things are definitely going to look different, so having segments like playoff predictions early in the season will help get fans accustomed to the change. One Group of Five school is guaranteed a spot, along with the four major conference champions. That leaves seven at-large bids, and that's where things get really interesting.
If Missouri can finish the season in the top 10, they should have a clear path to the College Football Playoff. Herbstreit picked Missouri to finish No. 7, where they would host No. 10 Florida State in the first round of the playoffs. The new playoff format is win-or-go-home, with the higher seed hosting the first-round games, meaning that matchup would take place in Columbia, Missouri.
The only other analyst to include Missouri in their predictions was Nick Saban, the former Alabama head coach who joined GameDay this offseason. He actually has Missouri finishing the season ranked No. 12 in the country, which due to the new format, would leave them as the first team out of the playoff.
It will be exciting to watch this season play out and enjoy the ride. It all kicks off this weekend, and with football constantly changing, there's plenty to look out for. We've finally made it to football season.
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