Tennessee, Iowa set to battle in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
Well, we now know which bowl game the Vols will play in and what team they will be playing against. The Vols will head down to Orlando, Florida to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
The game will be played on New Year’s Day at 1:00 p.m. Eastern at Camping World Stadium.
The Vols and Hawkeyes have played against each other in a bowl game recently. In 2015, the Vols defeated the Hawkeyes 45-28 in the TaxSlayer Bowl. I’d be willing to bet my house on the fact that this version of the Hawkeyes doesn’t come anywhere close to scoring 28 points.
If you haven’t watched the Hawkeyes this year, first of all, count yourself lucky. Secondly, the Hawkeyes’ offense is the definition of putrid. The Hawkeyes stumbled ass-backward into a 10-win season, but that’s thanks to an elite defense. Iowa plays in the B1G West, which is the least talented division in the country when it comes to offensive skill positions. Let me show y’all Iowa’s point totals in each game this season:
24
20
41
0
26
20
15
10
10
22
15
13
0
Essentially, the Hawkeyes suck ass at offense. Their QB, Deacon Hill, has completed just 49.4% of his passes on the year and has more interceptions than touchdowns. They can run the ball a little, but the Vols shouldn’t have to worry about getting beat deep.
I think this is a good matchup for the Vols. It will be challenging to put up points, but literally 7 points could be enough to win.
Once we get closer to time, be sure to check back for our staff predictions.