TAMPA – “Bowl games don’t matter.”
College football’s money-hungry mentality has changed the sport (for better and for worse), and that change has trickled down to bowl games. Gone are the days of sellout crowds in non College Football Playoff bowl games, with some wondering how long bowl games will last.
That leads us to the leading quote. Many high-major programs competing in bowl games this season – Michigan, Texas, USC – had a plethora of opt outs for their respective bowl games. The system is broken, so it’s not the players’ fault for not playing, but it causes a harmful top-to-bottom disinterest in bowl games.
The opt-outs alone have changed what used to be college football’s signature postseason, but teams are even opting out of playing in the game now. Notre Dame, who went 10-2 and narrowly missed out on the final playoff spot, opted out of its appearance in the Pop-Tarts Bowl and Georgia Tech replaced the Irish instead.
But that wasn’t Iowa’s problem to worry about. Culture has reigned supreme in Iowa City under longtime head coach Kirk Ferentz, and Wednesday’s 34-27 ReliaQuest Bowl victory over No. 14 Vanderbilt showed the country the Hawkeyes (and their opponent) cared about playing this football came.
Instead of fielding a reconstructed roster due to opt-outs, Iowa’s entire roster decided to play in this one, and it seemed that decision was made long before the Hawkeyes accepted their ReliaQuest Bowl invitation.
Much of Iowa’s roster could’ve opted out of this game if it wanted to. Offensive lineman Gennings Dunker and Logan Jones are likely NFL draft selections – potentially a first round selection for Dunker – but both chose to play. Quarterback Mark Gronowski could’ve opted out to protect his still-healing knee injury and make a run at a professional career, but he also chose to play.
The list could go on and on, but the bottom line here is that Iowa and Vanderbilt’s decision to play at full strength turned this game from an exhibition game to a heavyweight fight.
And when the final seconds ticked down, the Hawkeyes earned the final knockout punch. Iowa’s win was its first against a ranked team since October of 2021 – a losing streak that spanned 14 games and mostly featured embarrassing blowout losses.
The drought includes all four of Iowa’s regular season losses, but unlike the other 10 defeats, the Hawkeyes had a chance to win each contest. Even as the losses progressed to an unimaginable level of heartbreak, Iowa never wilted, and that strong persistence led to a resounding win on Wednesday.
Seeing the underdog Hawkeyes knock off a red-hot Commodore squad wasn’t out of the question, but to me, it’s how Iowa won this one – with its offense. The Hawkeyes did a pretty good job slowing down Vanderbilt star quarterback and Heisman Trophy runner-up Diego Pavia, but they wouldn’t have come close to securing victory without a heroic effort from veteran quarterback Gronowski.
Gronowski eclipsed 200 passing yards for the first time this season, while also adding one final signature “Gronowski Plowski” quarterback sneak touchdown in the fourth quarter. His oustanding showing to cap off an illustirous college career was fitting, but he might not have worn the Black and Gold if it weren’t for the presence of offensive coordinator Tim Lester.
Iowa’s offense was the laughingstock of the national media when Lester arrived in 2024, but the former Western Michigan head coach has completely turned this unit into a formidable one in just two seasons. The Hawkeyes’ 34-point outing on Wednesday moved them to No. 54 nationally in scoring offense (29.3 PPG). Considering Iowa was posting barely over 15 points per game at the end of Brian Ferentz’s tenure, then it’s safe to say that hiring Lester was the right choice.
Kirk Ferentz will have to replace numerous seniors on both sides of the ball, but Lester’s offenses should give Hawkeye fans plenty of confidence heading into 2026. Get Lester some wide recievers in the transfer portal to pair with emerging star Reece Vander Zee and provide a weapon for the next starting quarterback, and Iowa could be on the verge of building something special.
Is the value of bowl games trending in the wrong direction? Yes.
Could Iowa’s win in a supposedly meaningless bowl game launch it closer to College Football Playoff contention? Also yes.
Happy New Year, Hawkeye fans.