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Mizzou withdraws from Music City Bowl showdown with Iowa
Published:
The Music City Bowl is teetering and with it, Iowa’s promising run to end the 2020 season.
An outbreak of COVID-19 within the Hawkeyes program has run through both the playing personnel as well as the staff, causing Iowa to halt practice for several days last week. But it was issues with the pandemic suffered by Missouri that now cast the game in some doubt.
The game is scheduled to play Dec. 30 in Nashville.
It appears that the bowl game is looking for a replacement for Missouri, who were 5-5 this season. The program made their withdrawal official on Sunday afternoon.
NEWS | COVID-19 Knocks #Mizzou Football Out of TransPerfect Music City Bowl https://t.co/3u8ZrYGgOg
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) December 27, 2020
If no replacement can be found, then it will be the 17th bowl game canceled this season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Nashville bowl game was shaping up to be a capstone for an impressive close to the season by the Hawkeyes. Despite going winless in their first two games, Iowa rebounded in impressive fashion, winning their final six games of the season.
Sources: The expectation at Iowa is that the Music City Bowl against Missouri will not be played. Still not official, but the bowl has reached out to Iowa about a replacement game.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 27, 2020
They are now No. 15 in the nation and 6-2. Against Missouri, 5-5 this season, the Hawkeyes were heavy favorites. Iowa has won three straight bowl games and, with a win, would have tied Minnesota for the most consecutive bowl wins in the Big Ten (Northwestern also has three straight bowl wins).