Iowa beats Boston College 27-20 to become 2017 Pinstripe Bowl Champions

Iowa senior RB #25 Akrum Wadley helps lead Iowa to a 27-20 win over Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (8-5) finish the 2017 College Football season with a 27-20 win over Boston College (7-6) in the Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium. Kirk Ferentz wins his 143rd game, as Iowa's head coach, tying him with Hayden Fry.

Kirk Ferentz ties Hayden Fry at 143 career wins, as head coach, with bowl win.

Bowl GameDay: Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Boston College Eagles in Yankee Stadium

The Pinstripe Bowl from Yankee Stadium kicks off at 4:15 CT on ESPN.
The Iowa Hawkeyes will square off against the Boston College Eagles.

Cedar Rapids, IA --- The Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5) will close out its 2017 College Football season against the Boston College Eagles (7-5) in Yankee Stadium in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, with a 4:15 CT kickoff on ESPN. The Big Ten-ACC teams square off as mirror images to an extent.

Both teams like the run the ball and control the line of scrimmage. Both teams have enjoyed forcing turnovers on their opponent.

Who wins the battle in the line of scrimmage and which team can exploit turnovers of their opponent is likely the team to come out of this one in Yankee Stadium with a win?

The Hawkeyes look to get first bowl win, since the 2010 season against Boston College.

A close game is expected in the Pinstripe Bowl. 

• Iowa is a 2.5 favorite, as Hawkeyes-Eagles square off in New York City today for the first time in series history
• This is Iowa's first game in  New York City in program history
• Boston College played Penn State two seasons ago in Yankee Stadium at the Pinstripe

Iowa kicks off the 2017-18 bowls for the Big Ten today, while Boston College is the 2nd ACC game for the bowl season, as Duke defeated Northern Illinois in Detroit in the Quick Lane Bowl.

Boston College opened the 2017 season with 23-20 win over Northern Illinois. Iowa will open the 2018 season hosting Northern Illinois.

Will this game be close or a blowout in Yankee Stadium?

Two former offensive line coaches lead their respective programs, as Boston College
is lead by Steve Addazio and the Iowa Hawkeyes are lead by the Dean of College Football,
Kirk Ferentz. Both have experience with one another, dating back to Ferentz's days in
the NFL, as an offensive line coach.

• Iowa was blown out once in 2017, with a 38-14 loss at Wisconsin
• Boston College was blown out at home in the ACC opener with a 34-10 loss to Wake Forest
• Pinstripe Bowls often are down to the wire ...

We are calling it as a game down to the wire, with the Hawkeyes winning 17-16, but turnovers could play a huge role, so, this one could become one sided, as the games mentioned during the regular season.

Iowa plays similar to Wake Forest. But, can Iowa force the turnovers against Boston College, like Demon Deacons did.

Boston College's ground attack is lead by ACC offensive newcomer of the year
freshman RB #2 A.J. Dillon.

Boston College is lead by a young freshman running back. Wisconsin was, as well, lead by a young freshman running back. So, can Boston College #2 A.J. Dillon going in the run game, running off chunk yardage, against an Iowa team, with a seasoned defense?

Iowa is lead by senior all-American MLB #43 Josey Jewell.

Both teams have youth on the offensive side of the ball. It should be a good one from Yankee Stadium. Keep an eye on ...

• the line of scrimmage and which team can gain the edge?
• field position, how will the kicking game play today?
• Who establishes the run?
• Who plays more physical?
• Who can force turnovers?

Big Ten looks to break .500 in the Quick Lane Bowl, as Minnesota faces Central Michigan

The Big Ten Conference opened the 2015-16 bowl season with an OT loss in the Pinstripe Bowl (Duke over Indiana) and a eight point win (Nebraska over UCLA) in the Foster Farms Bowl over the Christmas weekend. Next up: MAC vs. Big Ten, as the Big Ten faces its lone non-Power 5 match up of the bowl season.

The Huskers have appeared in a bowl game in 45 of the last 47 seasons

FOSTER FARMS BOWL: Nebraska 37, UCLA 29 - The Cornhuskers rushed for 326 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 37-29 victory over UCLA Saturday night in the Foster Farms Bowl. Quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw for 174 yards and a touchdown and carried the ball 10 times for 76 yards and another score on the ground in the contest. Recap

Indiana came up short against Duke at Yankee Stadium. IU was playing in only
second bowl, since 1994, with game in Pinstripe Bowl.

NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL: Duke 44, Indiana 41 (OT) - Duke earned a 44-41 overtime victory in the 2015 New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday, as Indiana closed out its first bowl game since 2007 and 10th in program history. The back-and-forth game featured nine lead changes and three ties. It also saw numerous offensive records set and six turnovers combined in a game where momentum seemed to be hanging in the balance throughout. Recap

Minnesota looks to get to 6-7, as Nebraska did as one of two Big Ten teams,
with losing records playing in 2015-16 bowls.

• QUICK LANE BOWL: Central Michigan (7-5) vs. Minnesota (5-7) - kickoff at 4:00 pm on ESPN2 * Big Ten preview

Five things the Golden Gophers would like you to know about the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl from Detroit ...

1. Minnesota will play Central Michigan in the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit. Minnesota is 1-0 all-time against Central Michigan, as the Gophers won 30-10 at the Metrodome on Sept. 16, 1987. In that game, Rickie Foggie, Darrell Thompson and Gary Couch rushed for touchdowns and Chip Lohmiller kicked three field goals in the win. The Quick Lane Bowl marks Minnesota's first bowl game appearance in Michigan and is the Gophers first trip to the Great Lake State since it won 30-14 at Michigan on Sept. 27, 2014. 

The Golden Gophers are under first-year coach Tracy Claeys, who replaced Jerry
Kill mid-season, after Kill retired, due to ongoing health concerns.

2. Minnesota, which owns a 5-7 record, earned a bid into the Quick Lane Bowl this year based on the team's high APR mark of 975. The Quick Lane Bowl is the 18th bowl game that Minnesota will play in and is the fourth-straight bowl game for the Gophers. The four straight bowl games is the second longest stretch in team history, as Minnesota played in five straight bowl games spanning the 2002-06 seasons. Minnesota is 6-11 all-time in bowl games but has lost its last seven bowl games (five by four points or less). Minnesota's last win in a bowl game was a 20-16 victory against Alabama in the 2004 Music City Bowl where both Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney rushed for more than 100 yards.

3. Minnesota has played one of the toughest schedules in the nation this year. The Gophers have faced (AP rankings at time of the game) No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 TCU, No. 8 Iowa, No. 15 Michigan and No. 16 Northwestern. Minnesota also played Wisconsin, who ended the season ranked No. 23. The Gophers faced three top-15 teams in Michigan, Ohio State and Iowa in three straight weeks. The last time Minnesota played three straight games against top 15 teams was 2002 when it played No. 6 Ohio State, No. 13 Michigan and No. 6 Iowa. Baylor was the only other team in the regular season to play three straight top-15 opponents, as it played No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 15 TCU.

4. Minnesota was the only Big Ten team to play (rankings at time of game) No. 1 Ohio State, No. 8 Iowa, No. 15 Michigan, No. 16 Northwestern and Wisconsin this year. Those teams have a combined 51-10 record and Minnesota's seven defeats have come to teams (Iowa, Ohio State, Northwestern, TCU, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nebraska) with a combined 66-19 record (Nebraska has 7 of 19 losses). If Michigan and Wisconsin win their bowl games then the Gophers would have faced six teams (in addition to Iowa, Ohio State, Northwestern and TCU) who won at least 10 games this season.

5. Nine of Minnesota's 12 regular season opponents will play in a bowl game this year. Those nine opponents have a combined record of 81-28 and all won at least seven games. Minnesota posted a home win against Ohio (Bobcats ended season at 8-4) and ended Colorado State's school record nine-game home winning streak (Rams finished the season at 7-5). Minnesota's regular season opponents will play in the Rose Bowl (Iowa), Fiesta Bowl (Ohio State), Outback Bowl (Northwestern), Citrus Bowl (Michigan), Alamo Bowl (TCU), Holiday Bowl (Wisconsin), Foster Farms Bowl (Nebraska), Camellia Bowl (Ohio) and Arizona Bowl (Colorado State).

Indiana and Nebraska kickoff B1G 2015-16 bowl lineup in Pinstripe & Foster Farms bowls on Saturday

The Iowa Hawkeyes will face the Stanford Cardinal on New Year's Day in the
2016 Rose Bowl Game. The Hawkeyes arrived in California on Christmas Eve.
Kirk Ferentz is the Dean of Big Ten coaches, in his 17th season in Iowa City
as head coach and 26th overall. He has coached in two Rose Bowls, as an assistant.

Cedar Rapids, IA -- The Iowa Hawkeyes have landed in California on Christmas Eve, in preparation for the 2016 Rose Bowl Game with Stanford on Friday. In New York City and San Francisco, respectively, the Big Ten kicks off the 2015-16 bowl season, as the Indiana Hoosiers hit Yankee Stadium to square off with Duke Blue Devils in the Pinstripe Bowl, while the Nebraska Cornhuskers face the UCLA Bruins in the Foster Farms Bowl.

The 2015-16 B1G bowl slate kicks off today, with games played by Indiana
and Nebraska, respectively.

Indiana faces Duke in the 2015 Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium

Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson and Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, though not usual opponents, revealed that they've long admired one another from afar. Indiana finished 6-6 (2-6 B1G East) on the regular season, while Duke finished 7-5 (4-4 ACC Coastal), as the two programs will square off in the 2015 Pinstripe Bowl from Yankee Stadium.

The Indiana Hoosiers (6-6) playing in first bowl game, since the 2007 season.

Their coaching trajectory at their current schools are actually quite similar.

Pinstripe Bowl trophy
on the line in Yankee
Stadium today.

After being hired in 2008, Cutcliffe won 15 games over his four seasons in Durham. By comparison, Wilson won 14 in his first four years in Bloomington.

But in their fifth seasons, each broke through.

Duke won six games in Cutcliffe's fifth year in 2012, sparking a streak of four consecutive bowl appearances. Indiana won six games this season, Wilson's fifth, and is looking to follow Duke's path.

"Coach Cutcliffe doesn't know this, but we've looked at Duke for a long time," Wilson said. "We actually appreciated his spring game being on ESPN3 because we watched it with our team, and watched the practice organization and the way the managers are working—the whole organization."

But while Wilson's program was studying Duke's trajectory, the Blue Devils were keeping an eye on Indiana themselves. Wilson's offenses have long been regarded as some of the best in the nation, and Cutcliffe has taken notice.

Duke coach David Cutcliff and IU coach Kevin Wilson ahead of 2015 Pinstripe
Bowl in Yankee Stadium. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. CST on ABC.

Cutcliffe called Wilson an example for offensive-minded coaches around the nation to study. Under Wilson's guidance, the Hoosiers have seen steady growth and set nearly 50 school records along the way.

"I have watched Kevin coach for a long time. Offensively, I don't know anybody better," Cutcliffe said, turning to Wilson. "I have tried to steal a lot of what you do."

Cutcliffe will likely have a hard time pulling any of Wilson's own tricks against him when they meet on the field at Yankee Stadium. The two have become very familiar with one another over the years.

Today's Pinstripe Bowl will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. CST on ABC.

"We've got one of the outstanding leaders in college athletics and one of the tremendous coaches in Kevin Wilson here," Duke Athletic Director Kevin White said. "The job he's done at
Indiana is being widely talked about in college athletics. It's just amazing what he's accomplished."

The respect goes both ways. 

By the way, White was Maine's AD, when he hired then Iowa offensive line coach Kirk Ferentz to his first head coaching position, back after the 1989 season. White began his career in coaching administration at Loras College in Dubuque, IA.

Indiana senior QB #7 Nate Sudfeld was named a third team all-Big Ten QB,
behind MSU senior Connor Cook and Iowa junior C.J. Beathard.

"In previous years, Coach Wilson would show us a lot of articles or write-ups about the Duke program," Indiana senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld said. "We have a tremendous amount of respect for them and how Coach Cutcliffe has really stuck with his process…We've drawn a lot from that program."

Duke (7-5) vs. Indiana (6-6) in the Pinstripe Bowl on ABC.

Both teams played one common opponent in 2015. Indiana beat Wake Forest 31-24 on the road ahead of the Big Ten season, while Duke closed out ACC play with a 27-21 win @ Wake. Duke was 0-1 vs. Big Ten opponents, after losing 19-10 against Northwestern at home in Week 3.

Indiana is playing in its tenth bowl game and brings in a 3-6 record. The Hoosiers are 0-2 against current ACC programs in bowl games. Duke is 3-8 in bowl games. The Blue Devils lost in 1995 to Wisconsin 34-20 in the Hall of Fame Bowl. The Blue Devils beat Nebraska 34-7 during the 1954 season, when the Cornhuskers were in the Big 8.

OUR PICK: Duke over IU in the Pinstripe Bowl ...

Nebraska faces UCLA for third game in four seasons in Foster Farms Bowl

The Nebraska football team held its first of four bowl practices in the Bay Area on Tuesday morning, working out for nearly two hours in half pads at Laney College in Oakland.

Big Ten vs. Pac 12: Nebraska vs. UCLA in Fosters Farm Bowl from Stanford Stadium/

The Huskers arrived in San Francisco on Monday evening and were eager to begin game-week preparations for Saturday’s Foster Farms Bowl matchup with UCLA. Nebraska defensive Coordinator Mark Banker met with the media following practice and said the Bruins’ ability to survey the field pre-snap and identify match-ups will pose the biggest challenge for his defense.

“That’s the offense,” Banker said regarding UCLA’s penchant for finding favorable matchups. “The quarterback has that responsibility from a run or a pass standpoint at the line of scrimmage. As the game progresses, what they’ll do is you’ll see them stop the cadence and look to the sideline so that somebody up above that’s seeing the configuration can then get them in the right call.”

Banker was asked if the Huskers have seen a similar offense to UCLA this season, and said the Bruins’ offensive attack is similar to that of Northwestern, with one big difference.

“In our conference, Northwestern,” Banker said, referring to the Wildcats’ strategy of calling plays at the line based on the defensive alignment. “The difference between Northwestern and UCLA, UCLA’s speed is by far much, much better.”

Nebraska true freshman DB #24 Aaron Williams ahead of the 2015 season.

To stop the Bruins’ high-powered offensive attack, Banker said his defense will need to make the right calls at all times and will need to make plays. One Husker defender that could play a key role on Saturday is freshman Aaron Williams, who the coaches have chosen to be Nebraska’s nickel back against the Bruins.

When asked how Williams was adjusting to his new role, Banker said “I hope it’s real well. He’s a football player. He’s done well for us this year as a true freshman.”

Following the Huskers’ practice on Monday morning, Nebraska head coach Mike Riley, UCLA head coach Jim Mora Jr. and selected players from both teams took part in a Foster Farms Bowl press conference. The Huskers practiced again on Wednesday morning before practicing for a third time on Thursday afternoon. On Friday, Nebraska did a walk-through practice at Stanford.

Mora is in his fourth season at the helm for UCLA, as the seniors seek to go out with a bowl win. Mora lost to Riley's Oregon State team, during his debut Pac 12 game in 2012.

The 2015 Foster Farms Bowl is set for an 8:15 p.m. CST kickoff on Saturday on ESPN. The Huskers are 5-7 in Riley's debut season, while the Bruins head into the match-up with an 8-4 record on the regular season.

Nebraska is 0-2 against UCLA, during a head to head meetings
during the regular season in 2012 and 2013.

OUR PICK: UCLA over UNL ... in the Foster Farms Bowl ...

Big Ten split first 2 bowl games, Hawkeyes prepare, as next two B1G bowl games are to be played Saturday

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. -- Blue sky, sunshine, and a cool breeze greeted the University of Iowa football team at its first practice in the state of Florida on Friday. The Iowa Hawkeyes opened practice on Pirate Field at Fernandina Beach High School.

It is less than one week until kickoff of the TaxSlayer Bowl that pits the 7-5 Iowa Hawkeyes against the 6-6 Tennessee Volunteers. It will be one of several Big Ten/SEC showdowns.

On Friday, the Big Ten Conference split their first two of ten bowl games the conference will play during the 2014-15 bowl season.

In Dallas on Friday, Illinois (6-7) senior QB Reilly O'Toole threw for 295 yards and a touchdown for the Fighting Illini and fellow seniors Jon Davis and Donovonn Young each found the end zone in their final game for the Orange and Blue.

But special teams and big plays burned Illinois in a 35-18 loss in the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl on Friday afternoon.

Louisiana Tech (9-5) saw senior Cody Sokol throw a 80 yard touchdown pass to Kenneth Dixon to put the Bulldogs up 14-3 early. The former Iowa reserve QB finished 14-28 for 287 yards with the lone touchdown pass against the Fighting Illini.

The Bulldogs are now 2-0 in the Illini series and against Illinois head coach Tim Beckman.

In Detroit on Friday afternoon, the Big Ten picked up their first win. The Rutgers program closed their inaugural B1G season on a highly positive note.

It was almost impossible to come away from Rutgers’ dominant 40-21 victory over North Carolina today in the Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field without feeling the program’s future is bright.

How can it not feel that way when a couple of Rutgers freshmen running backs turn in the type of performances that Josh Hicks and Robert Martin did, accomplishing something only Ray Rice had before them – followed by star wide receiver Leonte Carroo’s locker room announcement that he will return for his senior season?

But this wasn’t just about what’s ahead. For the 19 departing seniors it was a reminder of the mark they left on the program, helping to put an exclamation point on Rutgers’ inaugural Big Ten season.

Tabbed by many to finish last in the East Division of the Big Ten and to be a sub-.500 team, the Scarlet Knights finished a rousing 8-5.

“We stayed strong as a team,” said Rutgers senior left guard Kaleb Johnson. “There were ups and downs this season but this team stayed together, never got down on each other. That’s what strong senior leadership can do for you.

“When you have that and you stay together through the tough times you have a chance to accomplish the things we did this year. That’s what stands out to me about this team.”

At one point in this bowl victory, Rutgers had a 40-7 lead and had turned in what was arguably its most complete performance of the season to that point. Only a couple of touchdowns by North Carolina (6-7) in the final 6:45 spoiled that.

But it didn’t take away from the dominance. Hicks (who was named the game's MVP) rushed for 202 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and Martin added 100 yards and two scores on 19 carries as the Scarlet Knights – powered by an offensive line featuring three seniors – rolled up 340 rushing yards.

That’s a school record for a bowl, the most rushing yards by the Scarlet Knights since 2007 (against Army) and Hicks and Martin joined Rice as the only true freshmen in school history to rush for 100 yards in a bowl game.

“When you see 300-plus on that rushing stat you know you did your job,” said fifth-year Rutgers senior right tackle Taj Alexander. “To go out like this it feels great. Being here five years you think about everything it took to get to this point and you really appreciate it when you have a game like this, especially when it’s your last one.”

Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova didn’t dazzle in his final game (9-of-20 for 184 yards with two touchdown passes) but he didn’t have to. And he was good with that. 

“I think this senior class deserved this bowl win,” he said. “I think we deserved to go out like this. That’s all that matters.”

Because the running game was so good, Nova only needed to complete two passes in the second half. But the damage was done by then. Rutgers’ 23-0 halftime lead was its largest ever in a bowl game, and it was 37-7 with 14:11 to play after a 34-yard Nova-to-Andrew Turzilli touchdown strike and a 28-yard scoring run by Martin. Kyle Federico added a 31-yard field goal with 10:04 remaining to make it 40-7.

“I couldn’t be prouder of this football team and what they accomplished today,” said Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood. “They’re a special group of young people.”

The defensive side did more than its share, quieting a North Carolina offense that is the most productive in school history. Rutgers fifth-year senior strong safety Lorenzo Waters played a major role in that, collecting 14 tackles, recovering two fumbles and blocking a field goal attempt.

“It doesn’t get any better than this if you’re a fifth-year senior playing your last college game,” Waters said. “A lot of people get caught up in statistics but it’s not about that. All I did was make plays that were available to me and the way the scheme dictated things.

“They put a lot of my shoulders today, asking me to make a lot of open-field tackles so we could do a few other things on defense, and I was able to do that.”

Carroo’s announcement that he is returning means that Rutgers will be brimming with as much talent at wide receiver as it will at running back.

“I’m very excited about the future for Rutgers. I know we’ll have a great team next year,” said Carroo, who finished with 55 catches for 1,086 yards with nine touchdowns.

Illinois and Rutgers have closed out their 2014 seasons, along with Big Ten peers Indiana, Michigan, Northwestern and Purdue, who each failed to reach a 6-6 season in 2014.

Up next on Saturday are Penn State and Nebraska, as each squares off in their respective bowl games.

Out East on Saturday afternoon, Penn State (6-6) will be making its 45th bowl appearance in program history when they face Boston College (7-5) in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN.

The game will close out the Nittany Lions era a probation. As the bowl ban was lifted earlier in the season for Penn State.

"We've had a fantastic week," Penn State head coach James Franklin said. "To spend a week in New York City during the Christmas holiday has been unbelievable...It's been first class from top to bottom, so I'm thankful for that. We've had a great week, and we are looking forward to getting out there to play the game."

The Pinstripe Bowl will mark the 24th all-time meeting between the two Eastern rivals. Penn State owns a 19-4 edge in the all-time series, but Boston College has won the last three meetings. The first meeting came during the 1946 season, a 32-14 Penn State win, and the last occurred on Sept. 11, 2004, a 21-7 BC victory.

Penn State enters with one of the nation's top defensive units; ranking No. 1 in rushing defense (84.8 ypg), No. 2 passing efficiency defense (99.71) and total defense (269.8 ypg), and the No. 7 scoring defense (17.7 ppg).

"This is an opportunity to get out there and play the way we are capable of playing and finish on a positive note," Franklin said. "I'm really, really proud of our guys and thankful for the opportunity to be here."

Boston College leans on the running game and the two-headed attack of quarterback Tyler Murphy and running back Jon Hilliman. As a team, Boston College ranks 14th nationally with 251.8 rushing yards per game, with 29 of their 40 offensive scores coming on the ground. The defense is also stout against the run, sitting No. 4 nationally with just 95.5 yards per game allowed. They also rank 12th in the FBS with just 313.5 yards of total offense allowed.

Boston College - Penn State Bowl Game Preview

Out West on Saturday night, the Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-3) will kick off at 7 p.m. on ESPN, in the Holiday Bowl against the USC Trojans (8-4). The Trojans, like USC, are recently familiar to bowl bans.

“It helps on some level, we have a bit or familiarity with Coach Sarkisian’s offense,” Papuchis said. “I’m sure they’re going to have a unique plan this time though.”

The Huskers will be working with a linebacker unit that is banged up and will need contributions from players who may see an expanded role on Saturday.

“We’re a bit thin at linebacker right now,” Papuchis said. “We can’t go get any free agents. We’re preparing all hands on deck to be ready. (Josh) Banderas will play, Austin Williams may play, and we’re one snap away from Chris Weber and Marcus Newby being on the field.

With the dismissal of seventh year coach Bo Pelini, after the Iowa game, the Cornhuskers will turn to interim coach Barney Cotton before the Mike Riley era begins for the 2015 season in Nebraska.

Nebraska - Southern California Bowl Game Preview

The University of Iowa looks to rebound from its season ending Big Ten loss to Nebraska, in the TaxSlayer Bowl.

"Since the end of the Nebraska game (Nov. 28) we have been pushing toward this game, counting down the days until we get to face a good opponent," Iowa junior wide receiver Jacob Hillyer said. "It's good to get (practice) started. Some of the guys were a little sore coming off a five-day block of practice. It's exciting to come into game week and get ready for Tennessee."

Hillyer, from Somerset, Texas, caught 10 passes this season, including one for a touchdown at Maryland.

Facing good opponents is nothing new for the Hawkeyes. Six teams on their 2014 schedule (including four in a row to end the month of November) are bowl bound; Northern Iowa -- its season-opening opponent -- advanced to the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

Iowa sophomore cornerback Desmond King is in the midst of his second bowl preparation. One difference from last year is the weather: the Hawkeyes often battled rain showers in Tampa while getting ready for the 2014 Outback Bowl against LSU.

"Last year it was raining so it was a little slippery and we had trouble seeing the ball," King said. "Today was sunny with a cool wind. We had people paying more attention and everybody was focused."

King had two interceptions (one for a 35-yard Pick 6 against Indiana), 54 tackles, and five pass breakups this season. Even though the season has less than six days remaining, King said the Hawkeyes are treating it as another week and not getting ahead of themselves.

"We're getting comfortable in the playbook and trying to get ready for Tennessee on Jan. 2," King said. "It's another step forward."

King said the team got off to a quick start with Friday's practice, calling it a "good, up-tempo day."

Iowa is playing its 12th bowl game in the last 14 seasons under head coach Kirk Ferentz. The Hawkeyes are 6-5 in those postseason games -- more wins than any other program in the Big Ten Conference during that span.

The TaxSlayer Bowl will kick off at 2:20 p.m. on ESPN from EverBank Field in Jacksonville on Friday, Jan. 2.

How strong will the Big Ten close out the 2014-15 bowl season?

Final Saturday of 2013 brings us four bowl games from NYC, NC, Orlando & Tempe

Saturday, December 28th

Pinstripe Bowl:

Notre Dame (8-4) vs. Rutgers (6-6) at 11 a.m. on ESPN (HD)

The Fighting Irish square off with future B1G, Rutgers in Yankee Stadium to close out 2013 season!

Belk Bowl:

Cincinnati (9-3) vs. North Carolina (6-6) at 2:20 p.m. on ESPN (HD)

The AAC vs. ACC in Charlotte, so basically a home game for the Tar Heels!

Russell Athletic Bowl:

Louisville (11-1) vs. Miami-FL (9-3) at 5:45 p.m. on ESPN (HD)

Louisville's Charlie Strong returns to Sunshine State to face the Hurricanes and coach Al Golden!

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl:

Kansas State (7-5) vs. Michigan (7-5) at 9:15 p.m. on ESPN (HD)

Bill Snyder's Wildcats face off with Brady Hoke's Wolverines in Sun Devil Stadium!

Bowl Day for Iowa State and Iowa to close out 2011

Iowa State vs. Rutgers in Pinstripe Bowl in the afternoon, while Iowa vs. Oklahoma in the Insight Bowl this evening. Follow coverage with The Gazette.

Iowa State does not have a strong bowl history, but coach Paul Rhoads is 1-0 at ISU in bowls for Cyclones. ISU will need to play sound, as Cyclones look to finish 2011 with a winning record. ISU is a two point underdog.

For Iowa, defensive coordinator Norm Parker closes out his 13 year career at Iowa in the Insight Bowl, as heavy underdogs vs. Oklahoma. Iowa enters the game in Insight Bowl, as a 14 point underdog.

In 1995, when former Iowa defensive coordinator retired under coach J Hayden Fry, the Hawkeyes rised to the occassion in the Sun Bowl and beat Washington. Will the Hawkeyes rise up for Norm Parker and finish his career out in similar fashion? It will be a tall order for Iowa.