As bowl games were announced for the 2023 NCAA football season, Iowa State fans may get a sense of deja vu. They will be playing the Memphis Tigers in the Liberty Bowl, which is set to take place in Memphis, Tennessee on Friday, December 29th at 2:30 pm CT. Iowa State ended the season with a record of 7-5, placing them as the 5th team in the Big 12 conference, whereas Memphis holds a record of 9-3, which earned them a spot as the 4th team in the AAC. To some avid football fans, this may look familiar, and that’s because it is. 6 years ago, Iowa State and Memphis played in the same bowl game, which ended with a 21-20 narrow victory for the Cyclones. While Iowa State’s win in 2017 might bring them some confidence, it may be misplaced.
Memphis will be playing at their home stadium, which may provide an advantage. Things such as higher fan attendance, familiarity with the setting, and not having to travel provide Memphis with some advantages being the away team does not offer. But how much of an advantage does it provide? According to Chicagobooth.edu, 57.6% of games end in the home team winning. While this is not enough of an advantage to make the game a neutral site, it may provide Memphis with a leg up over the Cyclones.
This begs the question of why the selection committee chose Memphis to play at their own stadium. The answer is actually pretty simple. The selection committee chooses games they believe will end in close matchups. They believed that Iowa State and Memphis would provide an entertaining game for college football fans around the nation to watch, so they set them to play each other where the game would be closest. As the game nears its begin, and the fans start getting ready for the bowl season, the statistics start to matter less. Forget about the crowd, the location or the history of this bowl game. It all comes down to the two teams’ preparation. Can Memphis avenge their 2017 loss, or will the Cyclones catch a Tiger in their storm?
