Clark Lea, Vanderbilt Appreciative of Bowl Appearance: The Anchor

In the final press conference before Vanderbilt football takes the field for the final time this season, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz shared the podium together to preview the game and talk about their teams Tuesday afternoon.

Lea expressed his appreciation and his gratitude to the ReliaQuest Bowl staff for the opportunity to play in one of the premier bowl games of the bowl season.

“Our team is really excited to be. This is a great step for our program. We are grateful to the ReliaQuest Bowl, Jim and the ReliaQuest Bowl staff. This has been an incredible experience for our team,” Lea said. “We talk about relatedness being our edge, which means we create a sense of belonging and community as a team. To have a week here, spend time together, has been so meaningful for us.”

Despite missing the College Football Playoff this season, Vanderbilt still put on a historic season, winning 10 games for the first time in program history with a 10-2 record as well as making it to consecutive bowl games for just the second time in program history.

Lea and his team see the ReliaQuest Bowl as more so of a celebration of the season Vanderbilt has had rather than a consolation game to not making it into the 12-team bracket. The Commodores know making it to one of the better bowl games is still a big accomplishment nonetheless.

“This has been a record-setting team for us, a historic season. Tomorrow is our final climb. There will be some sadness in that, just like there are with all endings. It will be a great way to celebrate the accomplishments this team has had and the time we spent together,” Lea said. “This week in Tampa has been foundational to that celebration. We’re excited for the opportunity to play one last time.”

Vanderbilt and Iowa will kickoff at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN to kickoff the New Year’s Eve slate. It will be the first time the two schools have met on a football field.

New Year’s Holiday Commodores Schedule

No. 14 Vanderbilt football vs. No. 23 Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl, Dec. 31 at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.

No. 12 Vanderbilt women’s basketball at Arkansas, Jan. 1, 2026 at 1 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.

Yesterday’s Commodores Results Today

There were no games scheduled yesterday.

Did You Notice?

Vanderbilt basketball is a perfect 13-0 entering conference play for the first time since the 2007-2008 season in which the Commodores started the season off 16-0. Vanderbilt has three quadrant I wins to its resume as it is knocking on the door of an AP Top 10 ranking. Vanderbilt finished nonconference play with a 96-53 win over New Haven.

Countdown to Vanderbilt’s 2026 Baseball Season Opener

49 days

Commodores Quote of The Day

“I’ll tell you, from us going from 1-10 to 8-3 and making a bowl, to being part of the core that helped get us there, I think I probably take more pride in that than if I played in a place where I didn’t have to kick but maybe 3-4 times a game (but) won an NCAA championship.”
Jim Arnold