Iowa Lands Massive Bowl Projection Against Historic Opponent

The Iowa Hawkeyes have landed a very intriguing bowl projection against an elite college football program.

Nov 29, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz reacts during the second quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes rallied to defeat the Nebraska Cornhuskers in their regular-season finale on Saturday night, finishing 8-4 on the year.

Now, Iowa will wait to see who it plays in its bowl game.

Many bowl projections have already surfaced for the Hawkeyes, and perhaps the most interesting of them all comes from Bill Bender of The Sporting News, who is predicting Iowa to face the Clemson Tigers in the Duke's Mayo Bowl on Jan. 3.

"Would Dabo Swinney or Kirk Ferentz accept the 'Mayo Bath?' That's all we need to see," Bender wrote.

The Hawkeyes are looking to erase the taste of last year's Citrus Bowl out of their mouths, as they were hammered by the Tennessee Volunteers, 35-0.

If they do draw Clemson, though, they certainly won't have an easy time righting the ship.

The Tigers went 9-3 during the regular season and will now earn their 20th straight bowl appearance as a result. They have won a couple of national championships while playing in four national title games throughout that span.

Iowa has struggled against strong competition over the last couple of seasons, so this would represent a great opportunity for the Hawkeyes to turn some heads.

Of course, given how much Iowa labored against Nebraska and how pitiful its offense has looked throughout most of the year, beating Clemson—or anyone—in a bowl game will be no simple task.

That being said, emerging with a victory over the Tigers would definitely be a fantastic way for the Hawkeyes to end what has been an otherwise underwhelming campaign overall.