#23 Iowa to face #14 Vanderbilt in the Reliaquest Bowl

UI Athletics news release

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The 23rd-ranked University of Iowa football team will face No. 14 Vanderbilt in the 2025 Reliaquest Bowl on Dec. 31, in Tampa, Florida. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. (CT) from Raymond James Stadium and the game will be televised on ESPN.

RELIAQUEST BOWL TICKET INFORMATION
The Iowa Athletics Ticket Office will begin accepting Reliaquest Bowl ticket requests on Monday, Dec. 8 from all fans until the day before the game (Dec. 30).

Fans are encouraged to sign into their UI ticket account prior to Friday, Dec. 12, as ticket orders will start being filled (based on priority) beginning Dec. 12. Fans are encouraged to monitor their email inbox for ordering information and visit Bowl Central for updated information.

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“We are excited about the opportunity to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl. This allows our players one last chance to play together in a city and Bowl that is a Hawkeye favorite for its hospitality and game day experience. We look forward to heading south and competing hard to finish the 2025 season.”

UI Moon Family Head Football Coach, Kirk Ferentz

IOWA IN THE POSTSEASON AT THE RELIAQUEST BOWL
The Hawkeyes will be making their 38th bowl game appearance and their seventh Reliaquest Bowl appearance, formerly known as the Outback Bowl.

The Hawkeyes are 3-3 all-time in the Reliaquest Bowl. Iowa beat Mississippi State, 27-22, in the 2019 Outback Bowl, its last appearance in Tampa. Other Hawkeye wins occurred in 2004 (37-17 over Florida) and 2009 (31-10 over South Carolina). Iowa fell to Florida in 2006 (31-24) and 2017 (30-3), and LSU in 2014 (21-14).

The Hawkeyes have won four of their last seven bowl games. Iowa is 18-18-1 all-time in bowl contests.

IOWA VS. VANDERBILT
The 2025 Reliaquest Bowl marks the first ever meeting between Iowa and Vanderbilt. The Commodores are 10-2 overall this season, including a 6-2 record in the Southeastern Conference. The Hawkeyes are 14-20 all-time against current members of the SEC.

“On behalf of the University of Iowa, I want to extend our sincere gratitude to ReliaQuest Bowl CEO Jim McVay and his committee for selecting the Hawkeyes to participate in this year’s bowl game. We are very excited for this opportunity. Congratulations to Coach Ferentz, his outstanding staff, and our student-athletes for an incredible season that made this opportunity possible. This marks the seventh time Iowa will compete in this bowl game, a testament to the consistency and excellence of our program. We are also deeply thankful for our passionate and loyal fan base—your support makes moments like this so special. We look forward to celebrating together in Tampa and enjoying everything this beautiful destination has to offer.”

Beth Goetz, Henry B. And Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair

IOWA IN 2025
Iowa defeated Michigan State and Nebraska in the final two games of the regular season to post an 8-4 overallrecord. The Hawkeyes finished alone in sixth place in the Big Ten Conference with a 6-3 mark. Iowa’s four losses came to ranked opponents by a total of 15 points. The Hawkeyes have won eight or more games 10 straight full seasons and 17 times under Moon Family Head Football Coach Kirk Ferentz.

Center Logan Jones is a finalist for the Outland Trophy, defensive tackle Aaron Graves is a finalist for the Pop Warner Award and William V. Campbell Trophy, Kaden Wetjen was named the Big Ten’s Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year and is a Jet Award finalist, while Iowa’s offensive line is a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award. Mark Gronowski set school records for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (15), rushing yards by a quarterback (491) and becoming the first player to rush for a score, catch a touchdown and pass for a score in the same game (USC).

Iowa ranks third among Big Ten teams in bowl appearances since 2001, and is bowl eligible for the 23rd time under Ferentz. Iowa has posted a 10-11 bowl record under Ferentz. Since the 2001 season, only Ohio State, USC, Wisconsin, Oregon and Penn State have won more bowl games (including the FBS championship game), than Iowa. This will be the third time in five years Iowa will be traveling to Florida for a bowl game (2022 Citrus; 2024 Citrus).

Ferentz (212-128) became the Big Ten’s all-time winningest coach on Sept. 13, 2025, when the Hawkeyes beat UMass, 47-7. Ferentz, who is in his 27th season, is the dean of college football coaches.