#23 Iowa vs. #14 Vanderbilt Picks and Predictions: ReliaQuest Bowl
Written by: Nate Hornung
Last Update: Wed Dec 31, 2025, 9:57 am ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
ncaaf
The Big Ten and SEC meet on New Year's Eve in Tampa, Florida as the No. 14 ranked Vanderbilt Commodores take on the No. 23 Iowa Hawkeyes in the ReliaQuest Bowl at the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both teams finished the season on multi game winning streaks, but one will end on Wednesday afternoon when these teams go head to head with their noon eastern kick off. Can Diego Pavia finish his college career with one more win? Find out with our favorite picks as Iowa faces Vanderbilt, and keep reading for our expert analysis below.
More NCAA Football Coverage
Best Bet: Iowa/Vanderbilt Under 46.5 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Go check out what else I've got on the slate for bowl season, and view the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks.
#23 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. #14 Vanderbilt Commodores ReliaQuest Bowl Insights
Diego Pavia has one more chance to play college football before he fires up the LinkedIn account
The Hawkeyes finished the season 8-4 after playing a tough Big Ten schedule. Their four losses were all to ranked opponents (at the time) and two are playing in the College Football Playoff. Iowa lost to the Cyclones, Hoosiers, Ducks and Trojans, but they did go 3-0-1 against the spread in those games (4-0 if you got the hook in the CyHawk Series). All of those losses are forgivable in my eyes, although looking at how Iowa State finished, they would've liked to have that one back.
Vanderbilt went 10-2, losing only to Alabama in Tuscaloosa and to Texas in Austin, narrowly missing out on an invite to the CFP, but it's not like their quarterback didn't try. He should certainly play in his last chance to wow the pro scouts and send a middle finger to the Heisman voters (whoops, he already did that!).
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz expects the entire roster to be full for this bowl game, aside from long term injuries. For Vandy, tight end Eli Stowers seems to be the only opt out, but he was one of Pavia's favorite targets all year long. That could be a big hole for the Commodores to fill.
Matchup Information – Iowa vs. Vanderbilt – December 31
- Venue & Location: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL)
- Date: Wednesday, December 31, 2025
- Kick Off: 12:00 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: ESPN
Iowa vs. Vanderbilt Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel Sportsbook, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of December 30, 2025 at 3:36 p.m. eastern. Sign up today and get a $1,250 deposit bonus & 50 slot spins right away. Lucky Rebel offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.
Spread
- Iowa +5 (-109)
- Vanderbilt -5 (-111)
Moneyline
- Iowa +172
- Vanderbilt -211
Total
- Over 46.5 (-110)
- Under 46.5 (-110)
#23 Iowa vs. #14 Vanderbilt ReliaQuest Bowl Picks and Predictions
Kirk Frentz has built a great defense at Iowa as the Hawkeyes unit is certainly top 10 in the nation
Iowa vs. Vanderbilt Prediction: Iowa Wins Outright, Under 46.5
Best Bet: Iowa/Vanderbilt Under 46.5 (-110) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Iowa was 7-5 to the under this season, and they can't pass the ball. The offense was actually bottom 15 in yards per game overall, but they ran the ball fairly efficiently over 60% of the time. Defensively, this team was a top 10 unit easily. Diego Pavia struggled against very good defensive teams. Vanderbilt ended the season with four straight overs, but stayed under against Alabama.
The Commodores offense is very good statistically, but they only saw Alabama and Texas this season in terms of "top defenses". Against Alabama, Pavia led Vandy to just 333 total yards with two turnovers as they went 5/11 on third down, putting up just 14 points. Sure, they had more success against the Longhorns, but they still lost the turnover battle.
Remember, Pavia will be without his top pass catcher, TE Eli Stowers who led the team with 62 receptions (16 more than next) and 769 receiving yards (90 more than next). Without him, against one of the best defensive units in the country, I see Pavia getting shut down again, leading to a low scoring finish. Give me the Hawkeyes outright (but definitely take the +5).
Still Didn't Get Your NCAA Football Fix?
Here at Betting News, we offer Free Expert Picks for every major sports league. We also host daily streams on our Twitch Channel with our best bets, as well as sweat out games on Playback! Be sure to tune into everything we have going on at our Youtube, TikTok, and X pages as well, and follow my personal twitter @Shaggy_Bets for my full daily card.
- SEC Football Preview
- Big Ten Football Preview
- Big 12 Football Preview
- ACC Football Preview
- Tulane Win Total Predictions
More NCAAF News
NCAAF Betting News
QB Brendan Sorsby Granted Injunction by Texas Judge
NCAAF Betting News
Texas Tech QB, Brendan Sorsby, Headed to Rehab This Offseason
NCAAF Betting News
NCAA Football National Championship Picks: Miami vs. Indiana Predictions
Get FREE Picks and Props Weekly
Sign up for
THE WEEKENDER NEWSLETTER
Check Out All of Our Betting Resources at Betting News
Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Betting News makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.