Iowa vs. Missouri: Hawkeyes vs. Tigers prediction in the Music City Bowl

The calendar will soon shift from 2024 to 2025 and as that happens, the Hawkeyes are ready to hit the road for one final ride of the year. Iowa faces Missouri on Monday in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl in Nashville, and sportsbooks aren’t expecting much from the Hawks.

Our friends at DraftKings have Missouri up by 3 points in a matchup with an over/under set of 40.5 total points. That gives an implied final score of Missouri 21.75, Iowa 18.75

Here at The Pants things are…not going well for us. A total of zero personnel puts the Hawks in a position to win this game outright. In fact, no one expects Iowa to keep this score closer than 10 points. On average, we expect a score of 26 for Missouri and 13 for Iowa. That puts us squarely on the Tigers giving away the points and also puts us on the downside.

We. Are. Back.

Here’s a look at our individual predictions for Monday’s matchup.

JPinIC

I’m not quite sure what to expect on Monday. Not having Kaleb Johnson is a huge loss for this offense. KJ accounted for 61% of Iowa’s touchdowns this season and 43% of the total yardage for 43% of all touchdowns. But as a fan, it’s somewhat exciting to see what happens to this offense after Kaleb Johnson. KJ was So It’s a good thing I don’t think we really got to see what’s in Tim Lester’s bag this season.

I expect Brendan Sullivan to throw a little more than we’ve seen most of the season, but the identity of this team will still be on the floor. Logan Jones flashes a throw to his snapping hand and we know the Tigers will be sold out to stop the game on the ground, so running the ball could prove difficult for an offense that relies on running the ball .

Add that there is a defense not What we’ve come to expect from Phil Parker as a secondary coach for the last two decades, and I’m worried the Hawkeyes could be down early in this game and introduce a largely new playbook in the passing game as they try to keep up.

I think Missouri will win this game 27-17 unless the Hawkeyes can deal with some timely turnovers to either set up short fields or put points on the board without the offense having to do anything.

Prediction: Missouri 27, Iowa 17

Bart Pierce

Kaleb Johnson accounted for 43% of our offense this year. This is gigantic. I want to believe that if Brendan Sullivan rushes for 50 yards and throws for 150 yards, the Hawks have a chance. I’m nervous that without our security blanket – KJ2 – we won’t be able to turn what was supposed to be a two-yard loss into a 67-yard TD. I love my Hawks, but things could get pretty ugly.

Prediction: Missouri 31, Iowa 10

MattReisener

Will the Iowa offense function without Kaleb Johnson? Tim Lester was rightly praised for his role in reviving Iowa’s scoring this season, but much of that success was due to the outstanding play of the Hawkeyes’ All-American running back. Can the Hawkeyes still move the ball on the floor without Johnson or All-Big Ten center Logan Jones leading the way? If not, Iowa will have to deal with an impressive Missouri pass defense that allows just 185.5 air yards per game. A strong play from the Iowa defense might be enough to secure a win, but the Tigers have a solid offense that excels at ball control and has only committed nine turnovers this season. While a Hawkeye win would provide positive momentum for next season, expect more hand-wringing and questions about the program’s immediate future should Iowa fall short.

Prediction: Missouri 20, Iowa 10

GingerHawk

Wait, Iowa plays tomorrow? The Christmas-New Year week is just a blur of activity, so I didn’t have much brain power to devote to this game. So here is my spontaneous gut prediction.

Prediction: Missouri 26, Iowa 14

So here’s how this case unfolds. How about you, Hawkeye fans? Are you more optimistic about Iowa’s chances on Monday?