ESPN Predicts Holiday Bowl Final Score
The Iowa Hawkeyes will take on the USC Trojans for the first time since 2003 and they are projected to win.
Iowa and USC will go head-to-head on December 27th
Clay Helton is coming back and USC tries to springboard toward a critical 2020 season with its first Holiday Bowl win since 2014. The game features strength against strength as USC's pass offense (fifth nationally) faces Iowa's pass defense (10th nationally). USC has more overall talent, but Iowa boasts more balance and gets just enough offense from Nate Stanley, Tyler Goodson and others. The Hawkeyes win on, what else, a Keith Duncan field goal.
Prediction: Iowa 33, USC 31
It will be the second chance at beating USC for Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz. His team lost 38-17 in the 2003 Orange Bowl. USC has also won in the last 6 meetings between them and Iowa.
Iowa and USC will kick off at 7 p.m. CST on December 27th. The game will be on FS1.
On a side note, Rittenberg predicts Iowa State to fall to Notre Dame by a score of 31-23 in the Camping World Bowl. That game will be held on December 28th, kickoff at 11am CST on ABC.
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