BREAKING: Vanderbilt Football selected for ReliaQuest Bowl, set to play Iowa – The Vanderbilt Hustler

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Vanderbilt Football has been officially selected to play Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31 in Tampa, Florida. This will be the second year in a row that the Commodores have been selected for a bowl game, as they competed in the Birmingham Bowl against Georgia Tech in 2024  — a game which the they won to earn the program’s first postseason victory since 2014.  
“I want to first thank Glenn Fasani and the ReliaQuest Bowl staff for this invitation,” head coach Clark Lea said in a release. “Playing in this game represents an important step for our program as we look to build upon our historic season. We are grateful to have one final opportunity to compete as a team, and to be able to do that in such a prestigious bowl, in a great city, and against a respected opponent is all very meaningful. We are excited and proud to represent the SEC in this contest, and hope to close out the season with our best performance.”
Vanderbilt has had a historic season in 2025, achieving a 10-2 record for the first time in program history. The Commodores cruised through their nonconference slate, taking down Charleston Southern, Georgia State, Utah State and Virginia Tech in the early weeks of the season.  
The ‘Dores really hit their stride in conference play, though, taking down six SEC foes — LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Auburn. Four of those teams were even ranked at the time of the contest.  
“This has been an amazing year for Vanderbilt Athletics and our entire university, and it’s fitting that our fans have an opportunity to share the final hours of 2025 with a football team that embodies so much of who we are,” athletic director Candice Storey Lee said.
Vanderbilt’s stunning record put it firmly on the bubble for the College Football Playoff, but ultimately the committee decided not to include the Commodores in this year’s 12-team bracket. They finished at No. 14 in the final CFP rankings, firmly outside the bracket and the fourth team out (taking into account the two Group of Five conference champions). Head coach Clark Lea was disappointed with his team being likely left out of the CFP after the weekly rankings were revealed Tuesday, Dec. 2.  
Nevertheless, Vanderbilt will be in one of the top non-playoff bowls of the season, facing Iowa on New Year’s Eve. The Hawkeyes are currently ranked No. 23 according to the CFP rankings and have earned an 8-4 record this year under head coach Kirk Ferentz. The ReliaQuest Bowl is usually given to the second-best SEC team that does not make the CFP.  
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Wendy • Dec 7, 2025 at 7:02 pm CST
Really disagree with how the teams are “selected”. Vandy was phenomenal all year.
JJ • Dec 7, 2025 at 5:27 pm CST
Got hosed by the committee, Vanderbilt is definitely one of the twelve best teams in the country. The CFP committee is a clown show. The computers should pick the teams, not servants of ESPN.

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