Another stellar bowl showdown, the 2024 bowl season roars into Nashville for the 2024 TransPerfect Music City Bowl. After the conclusion of the regular season and conference championship games, the Iowa Hawkeyes and Missouri Tigers are ready to square off in this contest at Nissan Stadium. Heading into this game, Iowa stands at 8-4 while Mizzou is a solid 9-3 and currently rated as the No. 19 in the country as of this article’s writing. In this game, the Hawkeyes will be without the services of their main signal-caller as quarterback Cade McNamara has entered the transfer portal and a new player will take his place. Nonetheless, running back Kaleb Johnson should be a playmaker in this contest with 1,537 rushing yards and 21 scores this season if he decides to play after declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft.
For this article, SBS will be going over what to look for from each of these competing squads, a predicted winner in this matchup, and also some additional notes about NCAAF wagering.
With McNamara and Johnson questionable for this game, the Hawkeyes will have an uphill battle here even with a talented roster. Winners of four of the last five games, the Hawkeyes had a great year even with some of their talented players moving on. This includes back-to-back wins over Nebraska at home and taking down Maryland on the road, 29-13. Prior to that contest, Iowa dropped a game at UCLA, 20-17. Regardless, Iowa has been impressive at times this year with blowout victories over Wisconsin and Northwestern. Wide receiver Jacob Gill is the leading man for this wideout group after notching 382 receiving yards this season and two scores.
Of note on the defensive side of the football, linebacker Jay Higgins has paced the Hawkeyes with 118 total tackles along with 49 solo stops. In addition to his prowess stopping the football, the linebacker locked down four picks this year along with five passes defended. As a squad, the Hawkeyes have a plus-13 turnover ratio and have scored on average, 28 points per game this season against various competitions. Noted as a staunch defensive outfit year after year, Iowa has been great this year on offense. However, they do have some huge question marks on offense with so many pieces moving around and even some other uncertainties on defense as well with the transfer portal moving players around.
Including their notable wins above, the Hawkeyes also knocked off Minnesota on the road and Washington at home in blowout fashion, 40-16. However, they have struggled against higher-caliber competition like Ohio State earlier this year, losing 35-7.
On the other side of the field is Missouri and the Tigers had a great campaign in 2024. Following a thrilling victory over Vanderbilt (30-27 in two overtimes) to start SEC play, Mizzou started the year 4-0. However, the Tigers fell to Texas A&M on the road, 41-10, but were able to score some other impressive wins this past season. This includes SEC victories over Arkansas, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, and Auburn. Quarterback Brady Cook has been the main man under center this year for Missouri with 2,248 passing yards and nine passing scores. Additionally, running back Nate Noel has been excellent on the ground for the Tigers with 804 rushing this season and three scores.
With a strong defense, the Tigers were a top-20 unit this year allowing 20.1 points per game this year. Additionally, the Mizzou offense accrued 29.1 ppg this season and was a top-60 unit in the country this year with 170.8 rushing yards this year. While the Tigers fell just short of a berth in the SEC title game, they did end the season with back-to-back wins over the likes of Mississippi State and also Arkansas. In the game on the road against the Bulldogs, the Tigers won emphatically 39-20. Another player to look out for here is wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. who was the leading receiver this year for Mizzou with 809 passing yards and three receiving scores.
This game might be closer than many expect given the overall talent level of both teams, but take Mizzou to score the win here against the Hawkeyes. If Iowa was at full strength then they might have the edge, but the Tigers are the hotter team at this point in what should be an exciting showcase.
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About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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