Missouri vs Florida football GameDay: info, where to watch, predictions

It may be hard to believe, but it’s week 12 already. For Missouri, that means it’s final home game and senior night. A memorable night when the seniors all get to take home a white rock from the Block M after the game is over. The Tigers have had mostly successful senior nights over the years, since moving to the SEC playing Arkansas last every other year has a benefit of beating able to beat the Hogs, cart around that weird Battle Line trophy, and carry the seniors off the field on their teammates shoulders.

Two years ago Mizzou also played Florida on senior day in what was a pretty weird year. It was Eli Drinkwitz’s second season, the Gators had started the season ranked 13th, topped out at 10th after beating Tennessee in late September. But they began to plummet the next week following a loss to Kentucky. They would lose four of their next five games and were it not for an FCS win over Samford would have come into Columbia losing four in a row. Dan Mullen was feeling his seat warm, and then the reaper came in the form of a hooded Drinkwitz bearing a lightsaber in his post game press conference after Missouri clipped the Gators with a two point conversion in overtime. Mullen was fired the next day.

Drink is known for having a long memory and for a willingness to troll, the year before Mullen wore a Darth Vader mask to his press conference after beating Missouri in Gainesville.

I wouldn’t call what the Tigers have with Florida a rivalry. They’ve been in the same division since 2012 and have played each other each year since. That’s 11 games (there was a 12th meeting in 1966 which Missouri won in the Sugar Bowl), Mizzou has won five of those games, including twice in Gainesvillle. The home wins occurred in 2013, 2017, and then 2021. But the results have been largely uneven, as both programs seem to have serious ebbs and flows over the years. Moreso the Gators, who won a National Championship in the 2008 season. But they’ve hired four different coaches in that span, with both Will Muschamp and Dan Mullen being fired in their fourth season, and Jim McElwain being fired in the middle of seasonn 3, a season removed from finishing 9-4 and 17th in the CFP Final ranking.

The series is also home to an often reference and completely weird box score derived from the Tigers hilariously fun 42-13 win in Gainesville in 2014. Missouri finished with just 119 yards of offense and one offensive touchdown but led 42-0 with 2 minutes to play in the 3rd quarter before the Gators finally scored. They scored on a kick off return, a punt return, a fumble return, and an interception return all for touchdowns. Even the lone offensive touchdown came after a fumble recovery at the Gators 19 yard line.

This year the Gators are in year 2 of the Billy Napier era. They’re ok. The looked overmatched against Utah, blasted Tennessee at home, got manhandled by Kentucky on the road, beat up on Vandy, snuck by South Carolina, and have now lost three in a row to Georgia, Arkansas, and LSU. Mizzou should win. But I’d be a little cautious because this series is always a little weird.

Missouri-Florida football: Time, Location

TIME: 6:30 p.m. CT

DATE: Saturday, November 18, 2023

LOCATION: Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium; Columbia, MO

Missouri-Florida football: Follow the game, TV Channel

TELEVISION: ESPN

STREAM: ESPN+

Missouri-Florida football: Betting odds, predictions

As of Friday evening, Missouri is a 11.5-point favorite over Florida, according to DraftKing’s Sportsbook. The total points (over/under) is 58.5.