Bowl Projections: Missouri Tigers vs Pittsburgh Panthers in Birmingham?

With only conference championship games remaining, it's time for Missouri Tigers to start thinking about their potential bowl matchup.

With the 2022 regular season all wrapped up, bowl games are right round the corner and teams are starting to prepare for their potential matchups. The Missouri Tigers (6-6), who snatched bowl eligibility from the abyss by securing their sixth win of the year in the regular season finale, are riding a two-game win streak into the postseason. Sports Illustrated released their list of projected bowl matchups and have Mizzou slated for a late December clash with an ACC foe.

At the moment, Sports Illustrated's list of projections has the Tigers scheduled to face off with the Pittsburgh Panthers (8-4) on Dec 28 in the Birmingham Bowl, to be televised on ESPN. That Alabama clash wouldn't exactly be a home game for Mizzou, but it would certainly be more familiar territory for the Tigers than the Panthers. 

Pittsburgh fell out of the top 25 early on in 2022, but finished the season on a high note with a four-game win streak. The Panthers are looking strong heading into the bowl season after a 42-16 win over Miami and could pose a tough challenge for the Tigers, if this matchup should come to fruition.

Mizzou's ship was recently rocked by a tough loss as star wide receiver Dominic Lovett reportedly intends to enter the transfer portal. Those rumors surfaced Sunday and have cause some concern around the program, both regarding the loss of Lovett and the potential exodus of even more talented Tigers. For now, the rest of the roster seems to be on board and focused on finishing this season with a bowl victory.

Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz may not be satisfied with this year's results, but a bowl win goes a long way towards building momentum. Mizzou's going to need plenty of that this offseason and these extra practices will give the Tigers a stronger foundation for the fall of 2023. Right now, though, the Tigers are focused on their final opponent of 2022, whoever that may be. 

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