The University of Iowa football team is receiving votes in both of the national polls. However, the Iowa Hawkeyes are firmly entrenched in the Top 25 that ranks teams that will be bowling later this month by their most recent NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) score.

In October, the NCAA reported that the Iowa football team had scored an 81 on the GSR—11 points better than the national average of 70. The Hawkeyes will travel to Tampa for the 2014 Outback Bowl as one of just 16 bowl-bound teams with a GSR greater than 80 and as the highest ranked Big Ten Conference team participating in a bowl game, according to GSR.

Rice (96), Boston College and Notre Dame (94), Stanford (93), and Duke (92) rank first through fifth in the GSR Top 25. Boise State (91) is the only other bowl-bound team with a GSR of 90 or better.

Nebraska (76), and Minnesota and Ohio State (75) rank immediately behind Iowa among the seven Big Ten teams that will be participating in a post-season bowl game this bowl season.

The NCAA introduced the GSR in 2005 to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. Unlike the federal graduation rate, the GSR holds institutions accountable for transfer student-athletes. The GSR also accounts for mid-year enrollees and is calculated for every sport.