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Mizzou's Non-Conference Opponent Revealed for 2022 Orange Bowl Classic

The Tigers now have their third non-conferecne opponent secured for the 2022-23 season.

Zach Dimmitt

Mizzou's Non-Conference Opponent Revealed for 2022 Orange Bowl Classic
Mizzou's Non-Conference Opponent Revealed for 2022 Orange Bowl Classic /

The Missouri Tigers will be competing in the 2022 Orange Bowl Classic this winter in the first season under coach Dennis Gates. And no, this isn't college football. 

As part of its non-conference slate, Mizzou will play the UCF Knights in the event on Dec. 17, per a report from CBS Sports Thursday. 

It's the third game of the Tigers' non-conference schedule that's been revealed, as Mizzou will play two former Big 12 rivals next season. 

The Kansas Jayhawks will come to town on Dec. 10. Mizzou will also face the Iowa State Cyclones as part of the 2023 Big 12/SEC Challenge. The game date and time of that game are still TBD.

The meeting at the Orange Bowl Classic will be the third time the two programs have met. Mizzou won the first two meetings during a home-and-away series in 2017 and 2018. The Tigers won both meetings in nail-biters, winning the first game by three and the second by two in overtime.

UCF, who went 18-12 (9-9 in conference) in an underrated American Athlete Conference last season, had some quality wins over opponents that ended up advancing deep into the NCAA tournament. 

The Knights beat eventual Elite 8 participant in the Miami Hurricanes 95-89 on the road in the second game of the season. It was arguably UCF's most impressive win. 

The team then beat the Michigan Wolverines on Dec. 30, a team that ended up advancing to the Sweet 16 later in the year. 

But the Knights' 9-9 conference record hurt their chances at getting a shot to be eligible for the NCAA Tournament despite having wins that the committee could've seen as quality. 

Luckily for the Tigers, the Knights will be without 2021 leading-scorer Darin Green Jr., who transferred to Florida State this offseason.

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

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