If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.
The #19 Virginia Cavaliers face the Missouri Tigers in the Gator Bowl Saturday at 7:30pm ET. Virginia lost to Duke in the ACC Championship, ruining its College Football Playoff chances.
Virginia vs. Missouri will air on ABC and stream live DIRECTV (Free Trial).
What: College Football, Gator Bowl
WHO: #19 Virginia Cavaliers vs. Missouri Tigers
When: Saturday, December 27, 2025
Where: EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Live Streams: DIRECTV (Free Trial), fuboTV (free trial), Sling
Here’s a recent college football story via the Associated Press:
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Missouri and Virginia have a chance to make history in the Gator Bowl.
The No. 25 Tigers (8-4) are trying to reach nine wins for the third straight season for the first time. The 20th-ranked Cavaliers (10-3) are seeking their 11th win for the first time.
One of them will reach its goal Saturday night at EverBank Stadium.
“We’d be remembered here forever, which would be awesome,” Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris said. “We find it every day.
Missouri is a 4 1/2-point favorite according to the BetMGM Sportsbook despite playing without starting quarterback Beau Pribula.
Pribula announced plans to enter the transfer window last week, leaving rookie Matt Zollers to start for the Tigers in Jacksonville.
It is the second time in as many years that Pribula is looking for a new school. He left Penn State after the 2024 season, landed at Missouri and led the Tigers to a 6-1 start before dislocating his ankle during a game at Vanderbilt in late October.
Zollers started the two games Pribula missed, throwing for 189 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
If things go according to plan, the Tigers won’t need Zollers to do much. They plan to rely on All-American running back Ahmad Hardy, who needs 68 yards to pass Cody Schrader’s school record (1,627) in a single season from 2023.
“I hope I get it,” Hardy said.
Hardy will have most of his teammates in tow. Linebacker and leading tackler Josiah Trotter (knee) and tight end Brett Norfleet (shoulder) will not play after surgery, and receiver Josh Manning and backup running backs Marquise Davis and Brendon Haygood joined Pribul in announcing plans to transfer.
“To me, finish what you start,” said Mizzou safety and graduate student Daylan Carnell. “This is my team. We came into the season, we were all in it together, right or wrong, good or bad.”
The Cavaliers are looking to wash away the ACC disappointment
Virginia was so close to making the College Football Playoff. The Cavaliers scored the final 10 points of the fourth quarter against Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game earlier this month and appeared to have all the momentum heading into overtime. But Duke scored a touchdown on its first possession in OT and then intercepted a pass to end the game.
“You have to flush it down the drain and move on,” said head of security Antonio Clary. “Losing it the way we did was heartbreaking. Any athlete would say you’d rather get your ass kicked than lose like that, on a last-second play or so.”
New play-caller for Missouri
The Tigers will have a new play-caller for the Gator Bowl after losing offensive coordinator Kirby Moore, who recently took the head coaching job at Washington State. Trainer Eli Drinkwitz said Moore “can’t serve two masters” and moved forward with his new performance.
Drinkwitz hired Michigan’s Chip Lindsey to replace Moore, but Lindsey will be a spectator at the bowl game. Drinkwitz said the team will use a collective effort in preparation for the Cavaliers.
Homecoming for Clary
The only player in Virginia coach Tony Elliott’s program who was in a bowl game with the Cavaliers is Clary, who grew up in Jacksonville. So the sixth-year senior will get a rare homecoming in his collegiate finale.
Clary shared a childhood photo his mother took of him in the stands at the home of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Looking at it, it’s pretty cool that I was able to end up in Jacksonville, my last college game, especially after everything I’ve been through.
Can I bet on the game?
Yes, you can bet on the game from your phone in New York State, and we’ve rounded up some of the best introductory offers to help you navigate your first bets from BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, Bet365 and others.
Leave a Reply