Iowa vs. Stanford: 2016 Rose Bowl Game Preview & Notes
The Iowa Hawkeyes are in California, making final preparations to play in their sixth Rose Bowl Game — their first in 25 years. Their opponent is the Pac-12 Conference Champion Stanford Cardinal in a game to be played on New Year’s Day at 4:00 PM Central Standard Time. This game is the first ever meeting between Iowa and Stanford. The Hawkeyes will wear their home uniforms and their bench is on the West (Pressbox) side of the stadium — technically, the Rose Bowl Game does not have a home team.
The Hawkeyes are 2–3 overall in Rose Bowl games: winning their first two under then Head Coach Forrest Evashevski and losing their last three with Hayden Fry at the helm. Overall, Iowa has a 14–13–1 record in its 28 previous bowl appearances. Under Head Coach Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes are 6–6 in bowl games, including two appearances in the Orange Bowl.
Iowa finished the regular season 12–0 and 8–0 in Big Ten play, winning the conference West Division title. The Hawkeyes lost 16–13 to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game played on December 6 in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Spartans are playing in the College Football Playoffs — while the Hawkeyes got the “consolation” prize of playing in the Granddaddy of them all in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. Stanford will be the fourth team that Iowa has played this season with 10 or more wins — and the Hawkeyes have played eight teams that are in bowl games.
Stanford is 11–2 and 8–1 in conference play, defeating USC in the Pac-12 title game to gain its third Rose Bowl berth in the last four years and 15th overall. Its only two losses came in the season opener at Northwestern 16–6 and at home to Oregon in November 38–36. The Cardinal defeated Wisconsin in the 2012 Rose Bowl Game and lost to Michigan State in the 2013 contest. It’s a school-record seventh straight bowl appearance for Stanford and overall has competed in 27 bowl games — with a record of 12–13–1.
Iowa is ranked 5th in the all-important CFP poll, 6th by Associated Press, and 7th in the Coaches poll. The Cardinal is ranked 6th in the CFP poll, 4th in the AP poll, an 6th in the Coaches poll. Stanford is a slight favorite in the Rose Bowl Game.
Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz is completing his 17th year at Iowa. His overall record as a head coach is 139–107 — his record at Iowa is 127–86. Ferentz, along with Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, are now the two longest tenured head coaches in college football. Ferentz was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career — only Michigan’s Bo Schembechler has won that award more times — 6. Kirk was also named Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year and Woody Hayes Coach of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus.
Stanford Head Coach David Shaw — or to be completely accurate — Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football — is completing his fifth year as a head coach — all at Stanford — where his record is 53–14. Prior to that he was Offensive Coordinator for the Cardinal, and he also played at Stanford. Like Ferentz, Shaw was one of five recipients of the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year awards.
Kirk Ferentz has previously participated in two Rose Bowls — both as an Iowa Assistant Coach under Hayden Fry. Iowa Offensive Coordinator Greg Davis and Wide Receivers Coach Bobby Kennedy have both participated in three Rose Bowl Games while on the staff at Texas.
Former Iowa Athletics Director Bump Elliott is in the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame — and has participated in that game as AD at Iowa and an Assistant Coach for the Hawkeyes — and at Michigan as a player, Head Coach, and Associate Athletic Director.
Television for the Rose Bowl Game is ESPN with Brent Musberger and Jesse Palmer. As always, the Hawkeye Radio Network will carry the game with Gary Dolphin and Ed Podolak. ESPN in also doing the national radio broadcast — and the game will be broadcast on XM and Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 80. The Big Ten Network will have extensive pre-and-post-game coverage.
(12/27/15–8:30 AM)
