No. 20 Iowa and No. 25 Tennessee will meet in the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Day
Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III (7) reacts to scoring a touchdown against Vandervilt during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, in Knoxville, Tenn. Credit: AP/Wade Payne
No. 20 Iowa (10-3, Big Ten) vs No. 25 Tennessee (8-4, SEC), Jan. 1, 1 p.m. ET
LOCATION: Orlando, Florida
TOP PLAYERS
Iowa: LB Jay Higgins, third in the Bowl Subdivision by averaging 11.9 tackles per game, including 14 in the Big Ten title game loss to top-ranked Michigan.
Tennessee: QB Joe Milton III, 2,430 yards passing with 16 touchdowns to go with five rushing TDs.
NOTABLE
Iowa: The Hawkeyes are ranked 130th out of 133 Bowl Subdivision teams in scoring offense at 16.6 points per game and last in total offense at 238.8 yards per game. Iowa failed to score more than 10 points four times and twice lost in shutouts.
Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins (34) runs off the field after an NCAA college football game against Illinois, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins will enter the Big Ten championship game against Michigan on Saturday with 141 tackles, most among players at Power Five conference schools. Credit: AP/Charlie Neibergall
Tennessee: Three of the Volunteers' four losses came against teams ranked inside the top 10 of the AP Top 25 released Sunday: fifth-ranked and College Football Playoff-bound Alabama, sixth-ranked Georgia and ninth-ranked Missouri.
LAST TIME
Tennessee 45, Iowa 28 (Jan. 2, 2015 in the Gator Bowl)
BOWL HISTORY
Iowa: This is Iowa's 36th bowl appearance and third in the Citrus Bowl. The Hawkeyes had split the previous two trips there, beating LSU in 2005 and losing to Kentucky in 2022. Iowa has won four of its last five bowl games.
Tennessee: This is Tennessee's 56th bowl appearance, including a win in the 2020 Gator Bowl that was later vacated due to NCAA sanctions. This is the Volunteers' first trip to the Citrus Bowl since beating Michigan to cap the 2001 season with 11 wins, and the Vols have won four of their five previous appearances to this bowl game.
