Game Prediction: Music City Bowl - Kentucky vs. Iowa

It's bowl time, and the Kentucky Wildcats are looking for their fifth consecutive win in the postseason.

The 7-5 Cats will take on the 7-5 Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2022 TransPerfect Music City Bowl inside Nissan Stadium in Nashville. UK will be without star quarterback Will Levis and running back Chris Rodriguez, but there's no wavering in confidence from coach Mark Stoops.

Kentucky is looking for its second win in as many seasons over the Hawkeyes, as it found victory in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, capping off a 10-win season. After opening 2022 with a win over Iowa, the Wildcats will now look to close the year doing just the same on Dec. 31.

Here's a final game prediction with kickoff less than 24 hours away: 

All of the talk about dual-threat QBs and Kentucky and Iowa throwing some new things at the wall and seeing what sticks sounds like a fun time on the surface, but let's not kid ourselves. 

Both teams are going to run the football...a lot. It probably won't be successful, either. As horrific as both offenses have been this season, the defenses have been on the complete other side of the spectrum. The projected total sitting at 31 points should tell you all that you need to know. 

Kentucky will likely benefit from not having Rich Scangarello calling plays. Expect Scott Woodward and Vince Marrow to maybe dial up a few fun attempts, whether it be action for QB Destin Wade or just go balls for Barion Brown and Co. Expect Iowa to play...well...Iowa football? 

Third-stringer Joe Labas also might break off a cool run from the pocket or something of the sort for the Hawks, but Saturday will be his first experience in a collegiate game, so what could go wrong? Iowa does also posses most of its talent on both sides of the ball, a good sign for coach Kirk Ferentz. 

You can look at the scouting reports all you want, but bowl season is bowl season, and weird stuff happens on the gridiron around this time of year. That doesn't mean points are going to magically appear on the board, though. You still have to score them, and both of these teams seem nearly incapable of doing so.

Sit back, relax, and get ready for a boatload of punts, miscues and head scratching from Stoops and Ferentz. The attention that this game has gotten from a national scale is hilarious, solely because everybody is anxiously waiting to see how eye-gouging these four quarters are going to be...looking at you, sickos committee. 

I say JuTahn McClain grabs a decent amount of yards in his spotlight start at RB, the QB circus finds a way to pan out by just getting the ball to Barion Brown and Dane Key, and Kentucky mercifully drags its way to a "win" if you'll want to call it that. 

Kentucky 16, Iowa 10

Click on the 'here' links below for more Music City Bowl pre-game coverage:

Five things you need to know about the game here. 

Iowa's star tight end is also its emergency quarterback this weekend. More here.

Kentucky linebacker Jacquez Jones is ready to lay it all on the line in his final game as a Wildcat. More on the super senior here.

Kentucky's Music City Bowl Depth Chart can be found here.

Kentucky's transfer portal tracker can be found here.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

Sports Illustrated also offers insight, information and up to the minute details for gamblers. Check it out here.