Missouri out of Music City Bowl after rise in COVID-19 cases

Missouri will no longer play in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl scheduled for Dec. 30 against the Iowa Hawkeyes. The decision comes after an uptick in positive COVID-19 tests within the Missouri program.

The status of the game had been in question for the past week due to similar issues within Iowa’s program. However, the Hawkeyes began practicing in recent days, and the teams appeared to be on track to play.

Positive tests and contact tracing have left Missouri unable to participate. The break from football activities allowed players to return home to celebrate the holidays with friends and family. However, the program believes this run of cases stems from the team’s final regular season road game in Starkville, Mississippi.

Missouri’s first season under Eli Drinkwitz ends with a record of 5-5 and a third place finish in the SEC East.

We’ll have postseason analysis coming over the next few days and weeks here at Rock M Nation.

*A previous version of this story stated the Music City Bowl had been cancelled. This is not the case, as the bowl has not officially called the game off.