Iowa Hawkeyes Receive Huge Bowl Projection Against SEC Team

The Iowa Hawkeyes have received a huge bowl game projection against an SEC opponent.

Oct 26, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz walks off the field after a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Kinnick Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes are now playing the waiting game as they wait to hear who they will end up facing in their bowl game. Many different projections have started flowing in with different opponents and different bowl games being suggested for Iowa.

Unfortunately, the Hawkeyes are already facing an uphill battle to pull off a win in their bowl game.

Kaleb Johnson has announced that he will be declaring for the NFL Draft. He will also be sitting out the Hawkeyes' bowl game to limit the chances that he could suffer an injury before the draft.

That being said, a new projection has come out about what bowl game Iowa could end up playing in and who they could face.

The Athletic has projected that the Hawkeyes will face off against an SEC team. They have Iowa taking on Ole Miss in the Music City Bowl on December 30.

Going up against Ole Miss would be a tough matchup for the Hawkeyes without Johnson. Their offense already struggled to put up points with the star running back on the field.

Despite the difficulties that playing without Johnson could bring for Iowa, they will need to figure things out. Jackson Stratton will be asked to take a much larger role within the offense and will need to move the football through the air at a much higher level than the Hawkeyes have been able to all year long.

On the ground, backup running backs Kamari Moulton and Jaziun Patterson will be asked to handle a large workload. Both running backs are also in contention to be the starting running back for Iowa in 2025. This game will give them a chance to get a leg up in the competition.

Nothing has been finalized at this point in time. However, this could very well end up being where the Hawkeyes land on the bowl schedule.

Make sure to stay tuned on December 8, when the official announcement for bowl games and matchups will be made.