Bowl eligibility brings bowl projection time for Missouri

After qualifying for postseason play Saturday, the Tigers have a few possibilities of where they could play in bowl season.

By Nate Atkins

Published Nov. 20, 2011

When the Missouri Tigers came back to defeat the Texas Tech Red Raiders yesterday at Faurot Field, they won more than just a football game. They won the opportunity to extend the season one more game for bowl season.

At 6-5, the Tigers have qualified for bowl participation for the seventh consecutive year, the longest bowl streak in program history.

While the Missouri players and coaches focus on the upcoming Border Showdown vs. Kansas on Saturday in Kansas City, fans are left to anticipate just where the Tigers may end up when bowl destinations are announced.

The Big 12 bowl breakdown

BCS conferences follow bowl tie-in rules, which obligate particular bowl games to select teams that represent particular conferences. Although these selections intend to be based on conference standings, bowl committees are granted free reign to select the conference members they want to feature.

With regards to the Big 12 Conference, the Fiesta Bowl must select the Big 12 champion, unless that champion qualifies for the BCS National Championship Game. The other bowl games with Big 12 tie-ins receive their picks in the order listed below, but they are not required to select based on conference standing. Location and projected revenue often shake up this process.

Here is the 2011 lineup, in descending selection order:

Fiesta Bowl -- Big 12 Champion vs. BCS At-Large

• Jan. 5 in Glendale, Ariz.

• 7 p.m. on ESPN

• 2011 Result: Oklahoma 48, UConn 20

AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic -- Big 12 No. 2 vs. SEC No. 3 or No. 4

• Jan. 6 in Arlington, Tex.

• 7 p.m. on Fox

• 2011 Result: LSU 41, Texas A&M 24

Valero Alamo Bowl -- Big 12 No. 3 vs. Pac-12 No. 2

• Dec. 29 in San Antonio, Tex.

• 8 p.m. on ESPN

• 2010 Result: Oklahoma State 36, Arizona 10

Insight Bowl -- Big 12 No. 4 vs. Big Ten No. 4

• Dec. 30 in Tempe, AZ

• 9 p.m. on ESPN

• 2010 Result: Iowa 27, Missouri 24

Holiday Bowl -- Big 12 No. 5 vs. PAC-12 No. 3

• Dec. 28 in San Diego, Calif.

• 8 p.m. on ESPN

• 2010 result: Washington 19, Nebraska 7

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas -- Big 12 No. 6 vs. Big Ten No. 6

• Dec. 31 in Houston, Tex.

• 11 a.m. on ESPN

• 2010 Result: Illinois 38, Baylor 14

Pinstripe Bowl -- Big 12 No. 7 vs. Big East No. 4

• Dec. 30 in Bronx, New York

• 2:20 p.m. on ESPN

• 2010 Result: Syracuse 36, Kansas State 34

The Missouri projection

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas -- Missouri vs. Iowa

A rematch of last year’s Insight Bowl may not be what fans are asking for, but it could well be how the selection process shakes out.

Missouri takes the Big 12’s sixth bid, behind Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Baylor and Texas A&M.

If you're wondering why Texas A&M is ahead of Missouri, the answer lies in dollar signs. Last year, a similar scenario played out, where Missouri and Texas A&M boasted the same conference record and Missouri had won the head-to-head meeting, but the Aggies received the Cotton Bowl bid anyway.

In this scenario, it plays an Iowa team that takes the Big Ten’s sixth bid behind Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State and Ohio State.

If you counted Iowa as the seventh Big Ten selection there, that’s correct. BCS at-large bids bump up the selection process, and that’s what Michigan will do if it reaches a BCS bowl game.

Iowa, currently 7-4, boasts a record similar to last season's 8-5 finish, though this year's version isn't nearly as talented. It has managed to play up to its talent, however.

The Hawkeyes still boast running back Marcus Coker, who ran over Missouri for 219 yards and two touchdowns in last season's matchup. A Missouri-Iowa matchup would likely feature all sorts of running, as the Tigers currently rank 11th nationally in rushing.

Should Missouri lose to Kansas on Saturday, its bowl destination will be the least of its worries. Nonetheless, the Tigers would likely spend the holidays in New York City in the Pinstripe Bowl.