An all-Midwest affair is coming to Nashville.
Missouri football faces Iowa in the Music City Bowl on Monday in Nashville, Tennessee. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., and the game will air on ESPN. It will be the second straight year Mizzou has faced a Big Ten team in bowl season, after beating Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl in 2023.
With a win, the Tigers (9-3) can secure back-to-back double-digit win seasons for just the third time in program history . Quarterback Brady Cook is among those who will be playing their final games for Mizzou on Monday.
Iowa (8-4) finished the regular season with four wins in its final five games, and now has posted a winning record in each of the past 12 seasons. The Hawkeyes ' losses this year came at the hands of Iowa State, Ohio State, Michigan State and UCLA.
Here is everything you need to know about Iowa before Mizzou heads to Nashville, including the Hawkeyes' opt outs, potential key contributors and a score prediction:
The Hawkeyes' Week 1 starting quarterback, Cade McNamara , is out of the picture, testing the waters of the transfer portal. But Iowa's backup has plenty of experience to lean on.
According to recent reports from the Des Moines Register, Brendan Sullivan has been taking first-team reps during bowl practices. Sullivan was sidelined after he sustained a sprained ankle during a Nov. 8 game against UCLA but seemingly is back to full health.
Sullivan played some reserve and situational reps throughout the season, before McNamara was benched during Iowa's Oct. 26 win over Northwestern. Sullivan took over for a come-from-behind win, then led the Hawkeyes to a 42-10 win over Wisconsin the next week.
He's more of a threat on the run than as a passer, taking 35 carries for 144 yards and four touchdowns this season. Sullivan was 24-of-35 (68.6%) through the air for two touchdowns and two interceptions in the regular season.
Jackson Stratton looks likely to be Sullivan's backup, as he led Iowa to wins over Maryland and Nebraska in the final two games of the regular season.
Missouri recently went toe-to-toe with Iowa for the commitment of Penn State transfer quarterback Beau Pribula, who signed with the Tigers on Sunday. The Hawkeyes also have added a QB in this window, signing Auburn backup Hank Brown. Neither Brown nor Pribula will be eligible to play in Nashville.
Star running back Kaleb Johnson will not play for the Hawkeyes in the Music City Bowl. After rushing for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns (and adding 188 yards and two more scores through the air), the likely future NFL tailback opted out of the postseason.
Iowa, like Missouri, has managed to mostly avoid opt-outs other than its top NFL prospects. The Hawkeyes also will be without starting cornerback Jermari Harris, who picked off three passes this season.
Mizzou is expected to be without star wide receiver Luther Burden III and right tackle Armand Membou, both of whom are likely draft picks, and senior linebacker Chuck Hicks, who appears to have opted out for personal reasons.
Just because Johnson isn't involved, don't expect Iowa to stray too far from a run-first, run-second and probably run-third identity.
Iowa likely will lean on running backs Kamari Moulton and Jaziun Patterson for the bowl game. The pair combined for 124 carries, 624 yards and six touchdowns behind Johnson's gaudy stat line.
The Hawkeyes, as you'd expect, don't boast a dominant pass-catcher, averaging about 20 throws per game this year. But Jacob Gill, their top receiver, has 32 catches for 382 yards and a couple touchdowns this season, which does give the Iowa City team an aerial option.
For what Iowa lacks in offensive flair, it more than makes up for in defensive dominance.
Defensive end Ethan Hurkett has 6.5 sacks as part of 11.5 tackles for loss this season. Over on the other edge, Max Llewellyn has 5.5 sacks and eight TFL this year. Defensive tackle Aaron Graves has six sacks among eight hits for loss. Jay Higgins has 118 total tackles from one of the Hawkeyes' linebacker spots.
So ... there's your test, Tigers.
Kirk Ferentz has been Iowa's head coach since 1999. He has a 204-123 record as the HC in Iowa City.
The Hawkeyes hired former Western Michigan head coach Tim Lester as their offensive coordinator ahead of the 2024 season.
Phil Parker has been Iowa's defensive coordinator since 2012 and has been on the Hawkeyes' staff since 1999. He won the Broyles Award, which is given to the nation's top assistant, in 2023.
More: Missouri football live transfer portal news: Tracking who joins, leaves Mizzou in portal
More: How will new quarterback Beau Pribula fit with Missouri football? Behind the QB's track record
Like any bowl game, predicting an outcome here is as much a measurement of lost production as anything else. Burden is a big loss for the Tigers, but almost Iowa's entire offense ran through Johnson.
Mizzou has mostly been efficient against the run, and the Hawkeyes don't present as a team that can effectively capitalize on MU's frequent miscues in the secondary.
We don't expect much in the way of fireworks in Music City, but Missouri should have enough about it offensively in Cook's final game to close his career as the Tigers' starting QB with a win.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Music City Bowl: Scouting report, prediction for Missouri football vs Iowa
