Iowa Hawkeyes draw perennial powerhouse in USA TODAY Sports’ post-Week 3 bowl projections
Bowl berths are always a nice carrot at the end of the stick for teams to play for each year. It is an extra game and lately has transformed into a chance to get younger guys reps for the next season.
The Iowa Hawkeyes’ 3-0 start has them right on track for not only a bowl bid, but a belief they may find themselves in an upper-tier bowl game against one of the nation’s perennial powerhouses.
The most recent USA TODAY Sports bowl projections pit the Iowa Hawkeyes against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Citrus Bowl on January 1. Iowa has been in the Citrus Bowl just once before, most recently in the 2021 season when they faced off against the Kentucky Wildcats.
Alabama has appeared in the Citrus Bowl twice. Their first matchup was a win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in 1995. The most recent Citrus Bowl trip for the Crimson Tide was in 2020 when they beat the Michigan Wolverines.
Iowa sits at 3-0 with a massive date against Penn State awaiting them while Alabama is 2-1 with their loss coming to the Texas Longhorns. While both are projected to this bowl, they are going in a bit of a different direction to start the year.
The Hawkeyes are confident they have their quarterback and are starting to turn things around offensively. Alternatively, Alabama has been flipping between quarterbacks Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson, and Tyler Buchner.
Regardless of how the teams get there, an Iowa Hawkeyes bowl game against the Alabama Crimson Tide would surely be among the most-anticipated bowl games outside of the College Football Playoff.
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