Iowa @ LSU preview

OUTBACK BOWL STORYLINES

1. The spotlight will be on freshman quarterback Anthony Jennings when LSU meets Iowa in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on New Year's Day. Jennings will make his first career start in replacing Zach Mettenberger, who suffered a torn ACL in the Tigers' 31-27 victory over Arkansas on Nov. 29 in their regular-season finale. “He’s a very accurate thrower,” Tigers coach Les Miles told The Advocate about Jennings. “I think he fits the offense that Zach was running. ... We will run our offense just the way it is.”

2. Iowa is riding a three-game winning streak including victories over Michigan and Nebraska and wound up second in the Big Ten's Legends Division behind Rose Bowl-bound Michigan State. LSU won its last two games over Mississippi State and Texas A&M to finish third in the SEC West Division behind Auburn and Alabama.

3. The only previous meeting occurred Jan. 1, 2005 when Drew Tate threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Warren Holloway as time expired to lift the Hawkeyes to a 30-25 victory in the Capital One Bowl. It was the final game in the LSU coaching career of Nick Saban as news broke hours later that Miles would take over.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: LSU -7

ABOUT IOWA (8-4, 5-3 Big Ten): The Hawkeyes boast the No. 7 defense in the country at 303.2 yards per game - 11th against the pass (182.4) and 17th versus the run (120.8). Iowa's effective but unspectacular offense is led by sophomore Jake Rudock (60.2 percent completion rate, 18 touchdowns, 12 interceptions). The Hawkeyes are 14-11-1 in bowl games - 6-4 in coach Kirk Ferentz's previous 14 seasons (2-1 in the Outback Bowl) - and play in one for the fifth time in six years.

ABOUT LSU (9-3, 5-3 SEC): The Tigers averaged a potent 37 points with Mettenberger at the controls and their 200.8 rushing yards per game could be a big help to Jennings. Jeremy Hill ran for 1,185 yards and 14 touchdowns, but the sophomore is expected to be the focal point of Iowa's defense with Jennings at the helm. The Tigers, who are trying for a school-record fourth consecutive 10-win season, are 22-21-1 in bowl games and have appeared in one for 14 straight seasons.

PREDICTION: Iowa 24, LSU 23