The game pitted the Missouri Tigers and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
After a 1–1 start (with a tie to Minnesota that dropped them from #10 to unranked), the Tigers won six straight games, rising to #6 in the rankings before a matchup with Oklahoma, the eventual Big Eight Conference champion.
Georgia Tech won their first two games to rise to #5 in the polls, before a 10–7 loss to LSU at home dropped them out.
The Yellow Jackets were invited to their third bowl game in four seasons.
Both teams reached bowl games twice in the remainder of the decade.