Iowa to Play Vanderbilt in ReliaQuest Bowl

After going through a few ranked teams this season, the Iowa Hawkeyes know they're in for a huge challenge to end the year. Come New Year's Eve, head coach Kirk Ferentz and company will head to Tampa, Fla, to take on Vanderbilt.

For the past few weeks, the ReliaQuest Bowl has been linked to the Hawkeyes. According to On3's Brett McMurphy, it's now been confirmed. Iowa will look to avoid a fifth loss as they play at the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against a two-loss Commodores team led by Heisman candidate Diego Pavia.

Iowa vs. Vanderbilt Confirmed For ReliaQuest Bowl

Vanderbilt & Iowa will play in the ReliaQuest Bowl, sources told @On3sports. Complete list of confirmed bowl bids ⤵️https://t.co/Z4QMu99s85
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 7, 2025

On Dec. 31 at noon EST, the Hawkeyes and Commodores will do battle. It remains to be seen who will all play in the game, as time and time again, star players have opted out of bowl games. This year, even top teams are opting not to play. That isn't the case for these two teams as it'll be a B1G vs. SEC showdown at Raymond James Stadium.

Pavia finished the year with a career-high 71.2% completion percentage as he threw 3,192 yards. He led the Commodores to a 10-win season as their name kept floating around as a potential CFP candidate. Ultimately, three-loss Alabama, which made it to the SEC Championship game, got in over a team like them or Texas.

Regardless, Vanderbilt put together a stellar 2025 season. Their only losses were to the Crimson Tide and Texas, two of the top teams in the SEC. Knowing Iowa's losses have mostly come to the top teams in the B1G, this is set to be a battle for the ages.

Iowa's Massive Bowl Game Test

Nov 22, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz reacts during the second quarter against the Michigan State Spartans at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

For the first time since 2019, Iowa will be playing in Tampa. They're no stranger to the Outback Bowl, which has just been renamed to the ReliaQuest Bowl. Bowl game success is something that has slipped past Ferentz in the past few years, but he'll look to change all of that against one of the SEC's top teams.

If it wasn't Vanderbilt, it was likely going to be Tennessee. Iowa knew that if they did indeed get to play in Tampa, they'd have to face arguably their biggest test of the season, and that says a lot, knowing they played Indiana, who received the No. 1 seed.

Come Dec. 31, all bets are off. If Pavia plays, it gives him one more chance to make an impression and would be a highlight of Iowa's season. In the coming weeks, it'll be much easier to tell who's good to go and who will be sitting this one out.

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