Have the Missouri Tigers locked up a New Year’s Six bowl? Latest CFB Playoff rankings

Missouri football kept on winning, and the College Football Playoff committee kept its faith in the Tigers.

MU (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) received the No. 9 ranking in the CFP poll for the third straight week during Tuesday evening’s rankings announcement. It’s the only time the Tigers have spent three straight weeks in the top 25 — let alone the top 10 — since the rankings were adopted in 2014.

Missouri’s bowl destination will be announced with the rest of the postseason slate Sunday, the day after conference championship games. The Tigers are expected to earn a berth to a selection committee bowl, with the Peach, Cotton and Fiesta Bowls often cropping up in projections for Missouri.

The CFP has indicated that it rates coach Eli Drinkwitz’s team highly enough for a New Year’s Six Bowl berth.

Missouri is the highest-ranked two-loss team for the second straight week.

The Tigers are ranked two spots higher than No. 11 Ole Miss, which is Missouri’s main in-conference contender for a selection bowl and climbed a single spot in Tuesday’s rankings.

Mizzou has now been ranked higher than the Rebels for three straight weeks, perhaps offering a glimpse into the committee’s plans for Sunday’s selections.

Louisville dropped four spots to No. 14 after falling to Kentucky on rivalry weekend. The Cardinals play Florida State for the Atlantic Coast Conference title this Saturday.

Iowa jumped one spot to No. 16 and faces Michigan for the Big Ten title — perhaps the only other remaining chance, albeit unlikely, for a team to leapfrog Missouri in the CFP’s rankings.

MU broke a nine-year wait for a 10-win season by handily defeating Arkansas last Friday.

Now, the Tigers will wait and see if that’s enough for an invitation to the big stage.