The game was telecast at 8:00 p.m. MTonESPN. The Iowa Hawkeyes of the Big Ten Conference faced the Oklahoma Sooners of the Big 12 Conference. Oklahoma won by a score of 31–14.[2]
The game was briefly suspended with 2:22 remaining in the fourth quarter when one of ESPN's skycams crashed onto the field, nearly hitting Iowa wide receiver Marvin McNutt, Jr.[3] The incident has since gone viral on YouTube.
For the 2012 season, the bowl had a new sponsor and a new name as it became the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
After winning the 2010 Insight Bowl 27–24 over Missouri, the Iowa Hawkeyes are back to take on the Sooners of Oklahoma, which began the season as the top-ranked team in both the Associated Press and ESPN coaches’ polls. The two teams have met only once, in 1979 when Oklahoma defeated Iowa 21–6 in head coach Hayden Fry's second game. On that team were Bob Stoops, the current Oklahoma head coach, and Bruce Kittle, currently a Sooner assistant coach.
The Hawkeyes opened the season unranked, and could not put together anything longer than a two-game winning streak during the 2011 season. The bright spot was a win over No. 13 MichiganatKinnick Stadium. Iowa entered the Insight Bowl at 7–5 overall (4–4 B1G).
After opening the season as the No. 1 ranked team in the preseason polls, the Sooners entered the Insight Bowl with a 9–3 record (6–3 Big 12). Coming off a 44–10 loss to No. 3 Oklahoma State, the Sooners were looking to build momentum for the 2012 season. Head coach Bob Stoops and assistant Bruce Kittle played at Iowa under Hayden Fry in the 1980s.
