Missouri vs. Virginia prediction, picks, odds, spread: Tigers, Cavaliers close 2025 season in Gator Bowl
Missouri and Virginia meet in the Gator Bowl on Saturday, playing for the second time ever in football
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4 min read
Virginia and Missouri will meet for only the second time ever in football when the two sides square off in the Gator Bowl on Saturday night in Jacksonville. Though the SEC and ACC have several bowl ties and frequently meet up in nonconference regular season games, the only other time the Cavaliers and Tigers played was in 1973 in Columbia, a 31-7 win for Missouri.
Though the two programs don't have a lot in common in terms of series history, the two teams have similar profiles in 2025 that make for a great matchup on the field. Both teams are in the AP Top 25 poll with Virginia at No. 20 and Missouri at No. 25, and both offenses are powered by a feature back that has led the way in their respective conferences. Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy leads the nation averaging 130.0 yards per game on the season and his performance this year resulted in widespread All-American honors, including here at CBS Sports.
Virginia has its own star in the backfield with J'Mari Taylor, who leads the ACC with 1,062 rushing yards on the season and leads all ACC running backs with 14 rushing touchdowns. Taylor, predictably, was a First Team All-ACC selection and now he'll try to help Virginia cap a historic season with a win in the bowl game.
With two good ground games and an overall top-25 quality on both sidelines, the Gator Bowl sets up to be one of the most entertaining games outside of the College Football Playoff bracket. Let's get into some more things to know about both Virginia and Missouri, starting with the Wahoos' pursuit of program history.
Missouri vs. Virginia: Need to know
Virginia pursuing the winningest season in school history: Virginia has been playing football for 136 years, and not once has it won 11 games in a single season. With a 10-3 record heading into the Gator Bowl, Tony Elliott and this year's team have a chance to do just that and solidify their spot as one of the most successful teams in school history. There's already been a bit of history made with Virginia winning 10 games, something that has happened only one other time in school history (1989), and the Wahoos are even bowl eligible for the first time since 2021. In fact, only 11 players on Virginia's roster have even played in a bowl game, and all of those instances were for other teams.
The Matt Zollers era has begun: Missouri starting quarterback Beau Pribula suffered a midseason injury that caused him to miss most of three games before returning to action, so the Tigers got a glimpse of the future with freshman Matt Zollers thrust into action against Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Mississippi State. Pribula has entered the transfer portal and is out of the lineup. Zollers was a four-star prospect coming out of high school in Pennsylvania, where 247Sports had him rated as the No. 2 player in the state. And though his official record as a starter this year was 1-1, Zollers showed promise with three touchdowns to just one interception in those three games against SEC competition.
Missouri locked up Drinkwitz as coaching rumors swirled: Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz was mentioned as a possible candidate of interest for multiple power conference opponents, ranging from Penn State to Auburn, Florida and more. Drinkwitz took some mild amusement from seeing his name listed in connection to those jobs when he was in the middle of a turbulent campaign leading the Tigers, and he certainly did not do much to suggest he was ever looking to leave Columbia. But of course fans want to see action when it comes to commitment from their coach, and so that's what Missouri and Drinkwitz did when they agreed to a new six-year contract with an average annual compensation of $10.75 million. Locking up Drinkwitz then allowed Missouri football to pivot its efforts to locking up the key players for 2026, and that started with re-signing SEC Newcomer of the Year Ahmad Hardy. With Drinkwitz and Hardy both inking new deals, there will plenty of thoughts about 2026 in this final game of 2025 for Missouri.
Where to watch Missouri vs. Virginia live
Date: Saturday, Dec. 27 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: EverBank Stadium -- Jacksonville, Florida
TV: ABC | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Missouri vs. Virginia prediction, picks
Even though Virginia won two more games in the regular season than Missouri, I do think the Tigers' ceiling is higher especially given its ability to take over a game with the rushing attack. The fact that Ahmad Hardy has already re-signed for 2026 and won't be eyeing the transfer portal builds the case for Missouri to go all out and bring its best effort on a big stage, and if both teams have their best effort this is a Missouri win by a touchdown or more. Pick: Missouri -6.5
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