The Missouri Tigers have had some excruciating luck when it comes to being on the verge of playing in the College Football Playoff. In 2013, the final season before the four-team playoff era began. Missouri was as high as No. 5; the Tigers lost to Auburn in the SEC Championship game, but a win would have taken them to the BCS National Title, and if the CFP began a year earlier, Missouri might have been making a case for their entry into the four-team bracket.
Fast forward to the final season of the four-team playoff in 2023. The Tigers finished the regular season 10-2 and were the No. 9 team in the nation. One year later, the Tigers would have been in the CFP, but instead they matched up with Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl and won 14-3. In On3’s Andy Staples most recent CFP Bracketology, the Tigers find their name in the first four out just before the midpoint of the season.
Mizzou Eviscerates Florida On Homecoming
Missouri was coming off a gut-wrenching loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville. The Tigers had a chance to win the game late in the fourth quarter but fell short in their effort. It was easy to expect that the Florida Gators would waltz onto Farout Field and control the game, but the opposite happened.
Missouri held Heisman Candidate Jadan Baugh to 13 yards on 12 carries. On the flip side, Jamal Roberts had a career-defining day with 211 yards and three touchdowns against the Gator defense.
It was the Tigers’ first win against a ranked opponent since 2024 against Boston College. Not only does it snap the skid against ranked opponents, but it is the type of win that stamps your resume through the season.
Missouri First Four Out
The Tigers are in the first four out of the 12-team playoff format in Staples’ projection. Lucky for the Tigers, they have three more top-10 opponents in their path. Not sure if that is lucky for the opportunity to boost the resume or unlucky, as their path is one of the hardest in college football.
Missouri does not get a bye week until after their trip to Oxford in two weeks. Missouri lines up with Texas A&M this weekend to attempt to continue building their momentum. The last three weeks have seen multiple emotional wins; the first came from Ole Miss’s defeat of LSU. Then Florida snuffed out the Rebels’ mojo and dominated Ole Miss in the Swamp. Missouri’s recent win over Florida continues the chain. It is up to the Tigers to end the trend there and defeat Texas A&M on Saturday.
The Tigers cannot hold any weight to a projection right now. The only thing to do is to continue to conduct business as usual for the rest of the season and see where the chips fall. With No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Georgia, and No. 9 Ole Miss still on the schedule, the Tigers can only take this season one game at a time.
Mizzou On Verge Of Playoffs In CFP Prediction After Upset Win