Commentary

Sooners to play Iowa in Insight Bowl

Oklahoma will face the Hawkeyes in Tempe, Ariz. on Dec. 30 at 9 p.m. CT

Updated: December 4, 2011, 9:25 PM ET

By Jake Trotter | SoonerNation

NORMAN, Okla. -- In 2010, Bob Stoops ended Oklahoma's Fiesta Bowl practice and headed straight to the Insight Bowl to watch Iowa, his alma mater, play Missouri.

Now, the Sooners will be playing Stoops' alma mater.

Oklahoma (9-3, 6-3 Big 12) and Iowa (7-5, 4-4 Big Ten) will meet in the Insight Bowl on Dec. 30 in Tempe, Ariz. Kickoff at Sun Devil Stadium is set for 9 p.m. central.

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It will be just the second all-time meeting between the two programs. The first came in 1979, when Iowa traveled to Norman. That season, Stoops started at safety for the Hawkeyes, who hung tough before falling to OU, 21-6.

"We walk around all Saturday in the fall yelling, 'Go Hawks!' at home," Stoops said last year. Stoops' wife, Carol, also went to Iowa, and his brothers, Mike and Mark, played there, too.

This will be the fourth time in six years the Sooners have played a bowl game in the Phoenix area. The previous three, though, were in the Fiesta Bowl.

In the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, when OU faced West Virginia, Oklahoma State was also in town for the Insight Bowl. This time, the roles will be reversed, with OSU playing in the BCS bowl against Stanford. The Cowboys defeated OU on Saturday, 44-10.

The Sooners have one common opponent with Iowa in Iowa State. OU defeated the Cyclones 26-6 last week, while the Hawkeyes lost to Iowa State 44-41 in overtime the second week of the season.

The Sooners finished ranked No. 14 in the final BCS Standings.

Jake Trotter covers University of Oklahoma football for SoonerNation. He can be reached at trotterjake@gmail.com.