It’s about time to break out the bowling shoes.
Missouri football is getting set for the Gator Bowl, as the Tigers will travel for a Saturday, Dec. 27 game against Virginia to close the 2025 season in Jacksonville, Florida. The game will take place at EverBank Stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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Missouri (8-4) struggled against its best opposition in the 2025 season, with all four of its losses coming against teams that were ranked among the top 10 in the nation at the time of the game.
The Tigers will head to Jacksonville without their starting quarterback Beau Pribula, who has announced an intention to enter the transfer portal when it opens in January. True freshman Matt Zollers will make his third collegiate start at QB for Mizzou.
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Virginia (10-3) is having one of the best seasons in program history. The Cavaliers, coached by Tony Elliott, made the ACC title game and won 10 games for just the second time in program history.
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Here is what you need to know about Virginia before the bowl game in Duval County.
Who is Virginia’s starting quarterback?
Chandler Morris will start for the Cavaliers against Missouri.
Morris is a sixth-year quarterback who transferred to UVA ahead of the 20205 season. He originally committed to Oklahoma out of high school and has since spent time at TCU, North Texas and now in Charlottesville.
The veteran QB threw for 215.5 yards per game for Virginia this season, tossing 16 touchdown passes and nine interceptions over 13 games. He rushed for 245 yards and five TDs.
Morris is waiting for a waiver from the NCAA for a seventh year of eligibility, and recent media availabilities with Virginia’s GM indicate that the Cavaliers are hopeful it will be approved.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA – NOVEMBER 29: Chandler Morris #4 of the Virginia Cavaliers scrambles away from Ben Bell #33 of the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half during a game at Scott Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
Cavaliers won the ACC regular-season title
Virginia likely was a win away from being the ACC representative in the College Football Playoff.
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After a 10-2 regular season, which landed Virginia the ACC regular season champion title, the Cavaliers fell to five-loss Duke in overtime in the conference title game. That meant the ACC’s conference champion did not appear in the 12-team field, with an at-large bid instead being extended to Miami.
If the Cavaliers had defeated Duke, there’s a good chance they would have been one of the top-five conference champions included in the playoff field.
Battle of two good run games
If you’re looking to watch some teams pound the ground, you’ve come to the right place.
The Gator Bowl will pit the SEC’s leading rusher in Mizzou’s Ahmad Hardy against the ACC’s leading rusher in Virginia’s J’Mari Taylor.
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Taylor was the only ACC running back to eclipse 1,000 yards this season, registering 1,062 yards on 4.8 yards per carry. He also caught 43 passes for 253 yards, making him the Cavaliers’ third-leading receiver. He has 15 all-purpose touchdowns on the season.
Virginia’s second-string tailback, Harrison Waylee, rushed for 515 yards and five touchdowns this season, and he broke off for the second-longest run, 97 yards, in college football this season.
Hardy has 1,560 yards so far this season, and he needs 68 yards in the bowl game to break the official Mizzou single-season record set by Cody Schrader (1,627 yards) in 2023. He was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award.
Virginia’s J’Mari Taylor gets the game winning touchdown against Louisville at L&N Stadium Saturday. Oct. 4, 2025
Records on the line
With a win, Mizzou can tie the best three-year stretch in program history with 30 wins since the start of 2023.
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Virginia is also record-hunting. The Wahoos have never won 11 games in a season before. In their 122-year history, the 2025 season marks just the second time they have eclipsed double-digit wins in a season.
Score prediction: Missouri 21, Virginia 17
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Mizzou is heading into its bowl game with Zollers, a true freshman, as the starting quarterback. Several other key players, like linebacker Josiah Trotter and tight end Brett Norfleet, will miss the game.
It’s tough to predict exactly what the Tigers will look like.
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So, when in doubt, we’ll defer to the team that has Ahmad Hardy.
We’re expecting both teams to run the ball pretty often in Jacksonville. If you’re getting into a ground war, it helps to have one of the best running backs in the country. We’ll take Missouri to end its season on a high.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Prediction, scouting Missouri football vs Virginia in Gator Bowl