The Iowa football team will play No 19 Missouri at the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee, on Dec. 30 at Nissan Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. Central Time on ESPN. The Hawkeyes last played the Tigers in the 2010 Insight Bowl, prevailing in a 27-24 victory. Missouri leads the all-time series, 7-6.

Missouri finished the season with a 9-3 record and 5-3 mark in SEC play but will be without star receiver Luther Burden III, who has 676 receiving yards and a team-best six touchdown catches. A likely-first round selection, Burden declared for the NFL Draft last week. In addition, starting right tackle Armand Membou also opted-out in preparation for the NFL, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Dec. 6.

The Tigers rank 62nd in the FBS with 390 yards per game. Senior starting quarterback Brady Cook has thrown for 2,248 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions. Running backs Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll each have more than 500 yards rushing, with Carroll leading the squad with 12 touchdowns.

Missouri boasts the 22nd-best defense in the FBS, yielding 319 yards per game. Linebacker Corey Flagg Jr. leads the team with 76 tackles.

The Hawkeyes will have multiple options under center. Head coach Kirk Ferentz said last week quarterbacks Brendan Sullivan and Marco Lainez are back healthy and available for the bowl game. Sullivan hasn’t played since Nov. 8 against UCLA but suited up as the backup for the regular-season finale against Nebraska.

Iowa last played in the Music City Bowl in 2022, shutting out Kentucky, 21-0. With the exception of the shortened 2020 season, the Hawkeyes have played in a bowl game every year since 2013. In 2020, Iowa was supposed to play Missouri in the Music City Bowl, but the Tigers pulled out amid a rise of COVID-19 cases in their program and the game was canceled.