2017 Outback Bowl: What To Know Before You Go

TAMPA, FL – A hometown favorite and a familiar face will be facing off against each other in the 2017 Outback Bowl.

The Florida Gators will take on the Iowa Hawkeyes at Raymond James Stadium for one of the first bowl games of the 2017 calendar year. While the Gators only have to travel 130 miles for their bowl game, the Hawkeyes are familiar faces in the Tampa Bay area, with several recent trips to the Outback Bowl.

Here’s what visiting fans and area residents need to know before you go to the 2017 Outback Bowl:

Date and Time

The 2017 Outback Bowl is scheduled to kick off on Monday, Jan. 2 at 1 p.m. The Outback Bowl historically has been the first bowl game of the New Year (usually at 11 a.m. on Jan. 1). However, because Jan. 1 – the traditional day for many bowl games – falls on a Sunday, the New Year’s Day bowl games have been moved to not compete with the last day of the NFL regular season.

The 2017 Outback Bowl still has the honor of being the only non-College Football Playoff bowl game to take place after New Year’s Day, which puts it in “prime time” viewing for college bowl games.

Location

Since 1999, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa has hosted the Outback Bowl. The stadium is located at 4201 N. Dale Mabry Highway.

Directions

Raymond James Stadium is centrally located, sitting north of the downtown Tampa area. There are several ways to approach the stadium from all directions:

• From St. Petersburg via I-275: Take I-275 northbound to Dale Mabry Exit. Take Dale Mabry north about 1.5 miles to parking.
• From Clearwater: Take U.S. Highway 60 east over the Courtney Campbell Causeway to Spruce Street. Continue east on Spruce/Boy Scout Boulevard to Dale Mabry Highway. Turn left to stadium parking.
• From North Hillsborough/Carrollwood: Take Dale Mabry Highway south to stadium parking.
• From Northwest Hillsborough (Odessa/Keystone): Take the Veterans Expressway to Hillsborough Avenue and travel east to Dale Mabry Highway. Turn right (south) onto Dale Mabry or Himes Avenue and follow to parking.
• From Lakeland/Brandon: Take I-4 west to I-275 south to Himes Avenue (Exit 41-A). Take Himes Avenue or Dale Mabry Highway north to parking.
• From Northeast Tampa/Temple Terrace/USF area: Take I-275 south to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Turn right to stadium parking.
• From Bradenton/Sarasota: Take I-75 north to I-4. Go east to I-275 south to Himes Avenue (Exit 41-A). Take Himes Avenue or Dale Mabry Highway north to parking.

Parking

General parking lots at Raymond James Stadium will open at 9 a.m. Reserved lots will open at 8 a.m. Parking cannot be purchased in advance except as part of an Outback Bowl Membership. All lots are cash only.

Disabled parking is available in Lots A and C on a first-come basis.

Public parking for cars and motorcycles are $25, and is available in Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 14 and at the Hillsborough Community College campus.

Bus parking is $100, while campers and limousines are $75, and is available in Lots 8, 13 and 14. Overnight parking is not available on stadium parking. The Outback Bowl recommends contacting www.floridacamping.com for a list of campgrounds and state parks in the Tampa Bay area to accommodate overnight camper and RV parking.

Additional parking is available at Al Lopez Park, 4810 N. Himes Ave., and Tampa Jesuit High School, 4701 N. Himes Ave.

Tickets

Tickets to the game are $80 each. Children 3 years and younger are free as long as they do not take up a seat. Ticket Membership Packages are sold out for this year.

General admission tickets are available through Ticketmaster by phone at (800) 745-3000 or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/.

Teams

The Outback Bowl features the Southeastern Conference facing off against the Big Ten conference. The 2017 Outback Bowl features two teams that have appeared in the Tampa bowl game multiple times.

The Florida Gators, the SEC Eastern Division champions, make the two-hour trek down I-75 for the fifth time, and the first time since they beat Penn State 37-24 in 2011. The Gators bring in an 8-4 record, having lost their last two games against Florida State and Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.

The Iowa Hawkeyes, representing the Big Ten, are also making their fifth appearance in the Outback Bowl. The Hawkeyes last appearance came in 2014, when they fell to LSU 21-14. Iowa also brings in an 8-4 record, and are on a three-game winning streak, beating Michigan, Illinois and Nebraska.

The Gators and Hawkeyes have met twice before in the Outback Bowl. Iowa beat Florida 37-17 in 2004 while Florida returned the favor two years later with a 31-24 victory.

Outback Bowl Events

Starting Tuesday, Dec. 27, the Outback Bowl will host several public and private events for fans, including the Team Night with the Clearwater Beach Day and the Outback Bowl New Year’s Eve Parade.

Click here for more information on the 2017 Outback Bowl Events.

For more information, visit http://www.outbackbowl.com/.

Image and video via The Outback Bowl YouTube channel