Season ticket holders have bought 20% of reserved Hawkeye bowl allotment

IOWA CITY — Of the 5,000 tickets allotted to the University of Iowa for its upcoming appearance in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl on New Year’s Eve, UI Athletics has set aside about 4,000 for season ticket holders.

Of that reserved total, season ticket holders had bought about 800 tickets as of 9:30 p.m. Monday, according to UI Athletics spokesman Steve Roe.

Although numbers aren’t final, UI Athletics typically sets aside 700 to 800 of its allotment for player guests and about 400 for UI coaches, administrators and staff.

On top of the 5,000 allocation, 500 seats have been set aside for the Hawkeye Marching Band, which is making the trip to Nashville.

“We will work with the band if they would like to make some (tickets) available for band families that are not season ticket holders,” Roe said.

Although the band is traveling by bus to the game and the Hawkeyes’ partner travel agency wasn’t able to secure a chartered flight for fans this year due to pilot and crew shortages, Roe said the team will fly to the bowl game.

The Dec. 31 game will mark Iowa’s first trip to the Music City Bowl — after the Hawkeyes were invited in 2020, when COVID issues affecting UI opponent Missouri forced the game’s cancellation.

During a bowl game press conference Sunday, UI Athletic Director Gary Barta said he’s excited for the players — who’ll get a rematch against the University of Kentucky, after the Wildcats beat the Hawkeyes last year in the Citrus Bowl.

"I'm also excited for our fans because over the past few years, I know many fans have approached me saying they would be excited to go to Nashville and take over that city,“ Barta said. ”So really excited about the opportunity, and I know it's a great bowl.

“I know our fans are going to enjoy it, and our players and coaches are truly going to enjoy it."

The Hawkeyes for last year’s bowl in Orlando was allotted 9,000 tickets, plus 500 for the marching band.

Like most years, the team for the upcoming bowl game is planning to leave on Christmas Day and return on New Year’s Day, according to Roe.

Members of the public who aren’t Hawkeye football season ticket holders can buy seats on Ticketmaster for the game in Nashville’s Nissan Stadium — which boasts a 68,000-seat capacity and still had available seats in most sections as of Tuesday afternoon.

Tickets are selling for between $20 and $325 apiece.

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

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