Iowa’s latest loss has made the bowl picture look a lot different.
After the Hawkeyes’ 13-10 setback at Minnesota on Oct. 24, college football media outlets have cooled a bit on where they think Iowa will land when bowl season arrives. The Hawkeyes are 5-2 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play, but the offensive struggles against the Golden Gophers clearly knocked some shine off their outlook.
Now Iowa turns the page to Homecoming at Kinnick Stadium, where Wisconsin comes in for the battle for the Heartland Trophy. The Badgers are 5-2 and 3-1 in the Big Ten, and No. 24 Iowa will be trying to bounce back this weekend.
As Week 9 approaches, here’s where different outlets currently project the Hawkeyes to go:
USA Today Sports has Iowa in the Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., with the game set for Jan. 2, 2027 at 11 a.m. CT on ABC.
USA Today also lists the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., scheduled for Dec. 26, 2026 at 11 a.m. CT on ABC.
In the same projection set, Bonagura has Iowa facing North Carolina in the Citrus Bowl, while Mark Schlabach has the Hawkeyes matched up with LSU in Orlando.
CBS Sports sees Iowa heading to the Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., with a Dec. 30, 2026 date at 2 p.m. CT on ESPN. That projection has Iowa playing Alabama.
On3 has Iowa in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl against Duke, and Sports Illustrated also slots the Hawkeyes into the Pinstripe Bowl, this time against SMU.
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Stirtz, who was acquired in the 2026 NBA Draft, finished with 8 points, while Dix, the undrafted guard who signed a two-way contract with Oklahoma City, got on the scoreboard for the first time in the NBA. With Jalen Williams already out for the season and four starters unavailable in all, the Thunders thin rotation may have just turned into a surprising opportunity for both ex-Hawkeyes to prove they belong. [Read more 🡒]