COLUMBIA, Mo. — When the Gasparilla Bowl kicks off Friday in Tampa, Florida, Missouri can officially cross one more Power Five conference team off its play list. The Tigers (6-6) will face Wake Forest (7-5) for the first time in team history, leaving just five more Power Five teams Mizzou has never played in football: Florida State, North Carolina State, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and Washington.
Forget the others for now. The Tigers have their hands full with Dave Clawson’s challenging Wake Forest offense, a prolific spread attack that leads the country in passing touchdowns (40) and ranks among the top 15 nationally in points per game (36.