The Nebraska Cornhuskers football program was coming off a 9-4 season and a victory over Georgia in the Gator Bowl in 2013, and had high expectations for 2014.
Head Coach Bo Pelini was entering his seventh year at the helm and had already guided the program to three ten-win seasons.
In late November, the Cornhuskers traveled to Iowa City for a matchup against the Hawkeyes.
Sitting at 8-3, the Cornhuskers had a great chance to improve their bowl game with a win against a 7-4 Iowa squad.
Iowa came out hot early, and it took everything Nebraska had to overcome Iowa at home, winning 37-34 in overtime.