Music City Bowl football history: H2H, Records, top matchups, and more ahead of Iowa vs Missouri

The Music City Bowl will pit the Iowa Hawkeyes and Missouri Tigers in Nashville, Tennessee. It is the only bowl game scheduled for Monday and will have teams that finished in the top half of their conferences.

The first edition of the game was played in 1998 at Vanderbilt Stadium. A year later, the game was moved to Adelphia Coliseum (now Nissan Stadium) and has been played there every year since.

For this year’s matchup, Iowa (8-4) and their strong defense will play Brady Cook and Missouri (9-3). While both teams haven’t met on the field for over a decade, the programs have some history. The Music City Bowl will be played on Dec. 30 at 2:30 pm ET.

Iowa vs Missouri head-to-head record ahead of the Music City Bowl

Missouri holds a slim advantage in the head-to-head series with a 7-6 record. However, 12 of those games were played between 1892 and 1910. The other matchup was a 27-24 victory for Iowa in the 2010 Insight Bowl.

Both teams were supposed to meet in the 2020 Music City Bowl, but the Tigers canceled their participation due to COVID-19. They were also supposed to meet four times from 2005-2008, however, after Missouri backed out of the first two games Iowa canceled the back end of the series.

Notable Music City Bowl records

The Music City Bowl has been played 25 times before, with the 2020 game canceled for COVID-related reasons. Auburn has scored the most points in a single game, with a 63-14 drubbing of Purdue in 2018. It is also the largest margin of victory in the game’s history.

Iowa has been the only team to shut out an opponent, beating Kentucky 21-0 in the 2022 edition. They also allowed the fewest yards to an opponent, with 185.

Individually, Lamar Jackson ran for a record 226 yards in 2017 for Louisville. Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell established the passing yards record with 534 yards in 2021. His teammate Broc Thompson accounted for 217 receiving yards in that 2021 edition to set the receiving mark.

What to watch for Iowa in the Music City Bowl?

The Iowa defense will try to slow down the Mizzou attack. - Source: Imagn

All eyes will be on returning quarterback Brendan Sullivan in this game. Sullivan took over for Cade McNamara midseason but suffered an injury against UCLA in November. The Northwestern transfer passed for 344 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.

While the Hawkeyes’ defense is usually strong, it will be their running game that could make or break the game. With leading rusher Kaleb Johnson opting out, Kamari Moulton will be the lead back. Iowa led the Big Ten in rushing in 2024.

What to watch for Missouri in the Music City Bowl?

The Tigers also have some important players opting out of the game. Standout receiver Luther Borden is the biggest name skipping the bowl game. However, Brady Cook, Theo Wease, and Nate Noel are three veteran players who can sway the game in Missouri’s favor. All three players will be motivated as this will be their final college football game.

Mizzou’s defense has given up big plays for most of the season. While Iowa doesn’t possess a dangerous downfield passing game, avoiding big plays, especially early in the game, could be vital for the Tigers.