Iowa Accepts Bid for Holiday Bowl

Iowa officially accepted an invitation to play in the Holiday Bowl Saturday, becoming the fourth Big Ten team to make an appearance in the bowl game since its inception in 1978.

The Hawkeyes closed their regular season with an 8-3 record after Saturday’s 30-27 victory over Minnesota.

Iowa, which will be playing in a bowl game for the sixth consecutive year, will play the Western Athletic Conference champion Dec. 30 in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. The WAC championship is still to be decided among San Diego State, Brigham Young University and Air Force.

Other Big Ten teams in the Holiday Bowl were Indiana, a 38-37 winner over BYU in 1979; Ohio State, a 47-17 winner over BYU in 1982; and Michigan, a 24-17 loser to BYU in 1984.

“Everyone from the Big Ten who went (to the Holiday Bowl) has endorsed it 1,000%,” said Bump Elliott, Iowa athletic director. “Hopefully, having a good time will include a win. We’re not just coming out to sunbathe.”

The Hawkeyes concluded last season by losing to UCLA in the Rose Bowl, 45-28.

“We’re disappointed we didn’t play as well as we would’ve liked last year,” said Elliott. “This year, we had no other choice in our mind (other than the Holiday Bowl) . . . excluding the possibility of the Rose Bowl.”