The stage has been set… and it’s a big stage.

Mizzou football has been selected for the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State in Dallas at AT&T Stadium on Friday, December 29th. The Tigers have never been selected for a New Year’s Six bowl since they were formed in the 2014 season.

The game will be ESPN.

“What a tremendous honor to be selected for the New Year’s Six,” Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “And what a tremendous matchup with Ohio State.”

This is the third straight year that Mizzou has made a bowl game. The Tigers were one of the most improved teams in college football this year, going from a 6-6 regular season finish in 2022 to 10-2 in 2023. They exceeded all expectations, and even gave the then-number one team in the country, Georgia, a run for their money.

Safe to say Mizzou definitely earned their spot.

But the task ahead of them is not an easy one.

The Ohio State Buckeyes remained a powerhouse force in FBS this season.

The Buckeyes have won 10 of 12 all-time meetings against the Tigers. This Cotton Bowl matchup set to be the first meeting of the two programs since 1998.

The Buckeyes (11-1) were ranked No. 7 in the final College Football Playoff rankings. Missouri (10-2) finished No. 9. The Tigers were 6-2 and finished second behind Georgia in the SEC East division.

Ohio State’s path to the playoff was shutdown after the Alabama Crimson Tide upset Georgia 27-24 to win the SEC championship and snap the Bulldogs 29-game winning streak.