Time, Date, TV Channel, 2025 ReliaQuest Bowl Preview

It’s bowl season, which means we have a lot of football to watch between Dec. 13 and Jan. 19! Ohio State, Utah, Georgia Southern, Army, Texas A&M — and just about everyone in between — will take part in a total of 47 games that will ultimately conclude with the 2026 CFP National Championship.

NESN has you covered with previews for each and every game — with our next contest bringing another matchup between the SEC and Big Ten:

2025 ReliaQuest Bowl

Matchup: Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025
Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET
Stadium: Raymond James Stadium — Tampa, Fla.
TV: ESPN

Game Overview

The ReliaQuest Bowl isn’t nearly as cool as the Outback Bowl, but it has provided some exciting matchups since undergoing the name change in 2022.

Michigan defeated Alabama in a one-score contest in 2024. LSU did the same thing against Wisconsin earlier that same year, which served as the final iteration of the game to take place in January.

Drew Brees (2000), David Pollack (2005) and Melvin Gordon (2015) are just a few of the notable names who have taken home the game’s MVP. Iowa and Vanderbilt will look to add someone to that list on Wednesday.

Team Overviews

Iowa Hawkeyes
Conference: Big Ten
Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz
Record: 8–4

Iowa remains as consistent as ever, entering this game with a middling offense (58th of 136) and stout defense (6th of 136) — which allowed it to take home five wins in which there were less than 50 total points scored in 2025.

Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz said he expects the roster to be fully intact for the game, which should help them stay in contention with one of the best non-playoff teams in the country.

Vanderbilt Commodores
Conference: SEC
Head Coach: Clark Lea
Record: 10–2

Vanderbilt has an extremely impressive resume, riding one of the best offenses in the country (8th of 136) to ranked conference victories over South Carolina (No. 11), LSU (No. 10), Missouri (No. 15) and Tennessee (No. 18).

The Commodores won’t be at full strength, though the only official opt out is tight end Eli Stowers.

Clark Lea is looking to win his second consecutive bowl game, which would make him just the second coach in program history to win multiple bowl games (James Franklin).