Iowa Projected to Land Rate Bowl After UMass Win

After a solid 2-1 start, the Iowa Hawkeyes are well on their way to a bowl game.

Iowa Hawkeyes defensive lineman Aaron Graves (95) celebrates during a football game against the Massachusetts Minutemen Sept. 13, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Last year, the Iowa Hawkeyes fell to No. 19 Missouri, 27-24 in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl. The year prior, they were blown out, 35-0, by Tennessee in the Cheez-It Bowl. HC Kirk Ferentz hasn't won a bowl game since the 2022 season, a record he's looking to change this year.

As it stands, SI's Bryan Fischer has Iowa projected to face BYU in the Rate Bowl. The Hawkeyes would be playing on December 26, just one day after Christmas. While it's not a marquee matchup like their Cheez-It Bowl appearance, this is not surprising as they've been in the Music CIty Bowl two of the past three seasons.

The 2025 season is already a good one for the Hawkeyes as Ferentz set the all-time Big 10 wins record. Despite not playing the team's first conference game yet, Ferentz was able to showcase just how dominant this Iowa squad can be with their 47-7 win over UMass. Now, the team has another tough road test as they begin conference play at Rutgers.

All things considered, this team does not have an easy path to a bowl game. They would've loved to start 3-0, but things didn't go their way against No. 16 Iowa State. The Cyclones are one of five ranked teams they'll be playing this season. Hypothetically, if Iowa only loses to those ranked teams, they'd finish the season 7-5.

While they blew out both Albany and UMass, neither of those teams compare to the competition in the Big 10. Six wins is the standard to reach a bowl game which means the Hawkeyes have little room for error. They'll have their chance to beat No. 19 Indiana, No. 2 Penn State, No. 6 Oregon, and No. 25 USC, but losses to those teams don't count them out of a bowl game. At the end of the day, Ferentz and crew must take care of business against their unranked conference opponents.

BYU is one of the few teams that have only played two games this season. They've outscored Portland State and Stanford 96-3 in their first two games. The Cougars have a brutal stretch from October 18 to November 8 where they will play three teams all ranked in the Top 25. BYU's quest for a bowl game seems much more achievable than Iowa's, though they still have their work cut out for them.

The 2025 Rate Bowl takes place on Friday, December 26. It provides one of the most unique atmosphere as it's played at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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