As Iowa gears up for its ReliaQuest Bowl clash on New Year’s Eve, the Hawkeyes may have just caught a break - and it’s a big one.
Vanderbilt will still be a handful, especially with Heisman runner-up Diego Pavia under center. The dual-threat quarterback has been a nightmare for defenses all season long, and Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz knows exactly what his team is up against.
Pavia racked up 3,192 passing yards and 27 touchdowns through the air, and that’s before you even get to his 826 rushing yards and nine scores on the ground. He’s the kind of player who can break a game open in an instant - whether it’s with a perfectly placed deep ball or a scramble that turns into a 40-yard gain.
But just when it looked like the Hawkeyes would need to throw the kitchen sink at Vanderbilt’s offense, a new development may tilt the scales - at least a little - in Iowa’s favor.
According to multiple reports, including CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello, Vanderbilt’s star tight end Eli Stowers is expected to opt out of the ReliaQuest Bowl as he prepares for the 2026 NFL Draft.
That’s not just any player stepping away. Stowers is an All-American, the winner of the John Mackey Award - given to the nation’s top tight end - and arguably the most reliable weapon in Vanderbilt’s offense outside of Pavia himself. He tallied 62 catches for 769 yards and four touchdowns this season, serving as both a go-to target in the passing game and a key run blocker in the trenches.
Losing Stowers is a major blow for the Commodores. He’s been Pavia’s safety valve all year - the guy he looks for when the pocket breaks down or when it’s third-and-long and the offense needs a conversion. Take that away, and suddenly Vanderbilt’s offense becomes a little more one-dimensional.
For Iowa, that’s a significant shift. The Hawkeyes' defense, already one of the most disciplined and well-coached units in the country, now has one less elite playmaker to account for.
That doesn’t mean Pavia won’t find other ways to hurt you - he absolutely can - but it does simplify the game plan. Without Stowers stretching the middle of the field or sealing the edge in the run game, Iowa’s linebackers and safeties can focus more on containing Pavia’s mobility and forcing him into tougher throws.
In a bowl game where every possession matters and every matchup counts, this could be the edge Iowa needs. The Hawkeyes still have a tall task ahead of them - stopping Pavia is no small feat - but with Stowers out, the path to a New Year’s Eve win just got a little clearer.