Iowa State and Memphis will square off on Friday, December 29th, in the Liberty Bowl. The Liberty Bowl is home to the Memphis Tigers, making this game a de-facto home game for the Tigers.
Iowa State was projected to finish 10th in the Big 12, which would have likely put them in the five-to-six-win range. Matt Campbell once again proved the doubters wrong. The Cyclones finished fourth with a 6-3 conference record and even had an outside shot of making the Big 12 Conference Championship game on the season’s final weekend if other games fell their way. Their season was highlighted with wins against Oklahoma State and Kansas State.
Memphis had a very quiet 9-3 season that went under the radar due to a lack of great wins. Their non-conference schedule featured a combination of games that were underwhelming, particularly at the time before anyone expected Missouri to be a Top 10 team and Boise State was off to a 2-4 start.
Still, Memphis had a good season. Anytime a team can win nine games, it a good season (unless your name is Bama, Ohio State or Georgia). Wins against South Florida and Boise State ended up looking better at the end of the year, but besides that, the Tigers fed off of bad teams and lost to the good teams (Mizzou, Tulane, and SMU).
Players Not Playing in the Bowl Game
Between the two teams, there are 27 players currently listed as either opting out or declaring for the NFL Draft. Although Iowa State has more players opting out, it is Memphis who will be without two starting offensive linemen and Tre Wright the star cornerback.
For Iowa State,the issue will be depth. With more than 15 players not playing, the Cyclones will only be a few injuries away from being in serious issue. This is particularly true at linebacker where three linebackers have announced they will be entering the transfer portal.
Overall, the Liberty Bowl will look a bit like a traditional bowl game featuring normal starting quarterbacks and skill players. It will be a nice refreshing game for fans who like to see two teams at full-strength going against each other.
How to Watch the Liberty Bowl:
Liberty Bowl: Friday, December 29th, 4:30 PM ET on ESPN or ESPN+
Prediction for Iowa State vs Memphis
Iowa State is a really tough team to predict. They had some great wins and also very puzzling losses, highlighted by a 10-7 loss to Ohio. Memphis was at least consistent winning the games they should and for the most part losing the games they were expected to lose.
For this game there are two main factors I am considering; location and betting odds. This game is being played in Memphis’ home stadium which will play some advantage. However, the odds like the Cyclones and Memphis hasn’t really upset anyone all season. The Cylclones on the other hand have done pretty well at winning the games they are supposed to win. Throw that on top of the phenomenal play of the Big 12 to this point in Bowl Season, and the edge has to go to Iowa State.
Final Score: Iowa State 24, Memphis 17