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.