Mizzou fans, football players and media gather at the Clinton Club at Mizzou Arena for the Cotton Bowl announcement.

Mizzou fans, football players and media gather at the Clinton Club at Mizzou Arena for the Cotton Bowl announcement.

The Mizzou football team (11-2 overall and Southeastern Conference East Division champions) has accepted an invitation to play in the 2014 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, set for Jan. 3rd in Arlington, Texas at the world-renowned AT&T Stadium. Kickoff for the game, which will pit the Tigers against former conference foe Oklahoma State (10-2, 2nd place in Big 12), is set for 7 p.m. (central time) and will be televised nationally on FOX.

Justin Britt talks about Mizzou’s upcoming appearance in the Cotton Bowl and the season from a dad’s perspective

The Cotton Bowl appearance will mark Mizzou’s 11th New Year’s Day (or later) bowl game in program history, and its first since playing in the 2008 Cotton Bowl against Arkansas. The invitation is a reward for an outstanding season which saw the Tigers post one of the top turnaround years in the nation, going from 5-7 in 2012 to 11-2 – a 6-1/2 game improvement. This is MU’s 30th all-time bowl appearance.

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“We are honored and excited to accept a bid to play in the Cotton Bowl,” said Head Coach Gary Pinkel, who will be making his ninth bowl game appearance in 13 seasons at Mizzou. “We know first-hand just how great of a trip this is, and how first-class of an operation the Cotton Bowl runs. We have a chance to play an outstanding team in Oklahoma State, and this is an opportunity to finish up a special season in front of a great Mizzou crowd,” Pinkel said.

AUDIO Listen to the Cotton Bowl announcement (10:00)

This will mark the 78th Cotton Bowl Classic, and the Tigers will be making their third appearance in the tradition-rich game. Mizzou rolled to a 38-7 win over Arkansas in the 2008 game, as TB Tony Temple rushed for a Cotton Bowl-record 281 yards and four touchdowns against the 25th-ranked Razorbacks. That win closed a stellar season for Mizzou, who finished with a 12-2 record and a school-best final ranking of 4th in the final polls. Mizzou’s other appearance in the Cotton Bowl was back in 1946, when Texas claimed a 40-27 victory.