Less than 48 hours ago, the Virginia Cavaliers were feeling pretty good about their chances of playing in the College Football Playoff. On Sunday night, they find themselves underdogs in a second-tier
bowl game. Life comes at you fast sometimes!
Mizzou and Virginia were announced as the two participants of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, the sport’s sixth oldest bowl. According to FanDuel’s Sportsbook, Mizzou opens as an early -7.5 favorite over the 10-3 Cavaliers, with an over/under set at 49.5 points.
A bit surprised that a team on the cutting edge of the CFP is a dog to a team that dropped four games in the regular season? Maybe you shouldn’t be! The Tigers ended the season nine spots higher in predictive SP+ (19th as opposed to 29th.) While the Cavaliers boast a Top 25 defense in SP+ (23rd), their offense sits a little lower at 49th, while Mizzou ranks 13th and 31st respectively. The big advantage for Virginia will be on special teams, where their 44th-ranked unit ranks well ahead of Mizzou’s at 109th.
Mizzou, eligible for the sixth straight year under Eli Drinkwitz, and Virginia, bowl eligible for the first time since 2021, will square off in Jacksonville, Fl., on December 27 at 6:30 pm CT.
