When: Jan. 2, 11 a.m. ET (ESPN) The Game: Played at
Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., the Outback Bowl features teams from the
Big 10 and SEC. Originally the Hall of Fame Bowl, first played in 1986, the game
has had its current sponsor and title since 1995. The
Teams: Iowa (7-4, 5-3) finished in a tie for third place in the Big Ten. Florida
(8-3, 5-3) finished in a tie for second place in the SEC East and shared the fifth-best
record in the conference. The 2005 Outback
Bowl will match Florida of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) against Iowa of the
Big Ten. Get your Outback Bowl tickets to be there and cheer for your Florida
Gators or your Iowa Hawkeyes! This is a key
game for Meyer's momentum in Gainesville. If he can get wins over Tennessee, Georgia,
Florida State and in a bowl game in his first year, only the most stubborn Spurrierites
would say the season was a disappointment. But a loss here would give the detractors
fresh ammo. Iowa's string of three straight nine-win-or-better seasons is broken,
but getting victory No. 8 would be a good building block for a renewed run at
a Big 10 title in '06. |