FAYETTE, Iowa - The Upper Iowa football team (8-3, 6-2 GLVC) accepted a bid for the sixth annual Albanese Candy Bowl on Tuesday. This marks the first Division II bowl appearance for the Peacocks in program history.
"I'm so proud of what this team has been able to accomplish this year," said head coach Jason Hoskins. "They continued to focus on the process rather than the product, and that mindset made them highly successful. It was one of the best football seasons in UIU Football History. Although this team is deserving and in consideration for the NCAA Division II playoffs, we are excited to represent the GLVC in the Albanese Candy Bowl."
The Albanese Candy Bowl is one of three NCAA Division II bowl games sponsored nationally in 2025. It was created in 2019 by the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) in partnership with the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority and the City of Hammond, Indiana. After playing at Hobart, Indiana for the first three years, the 2023 game was played at Hammond Central High School. Since 2024, the game has been played at Hobart High School.
UIU will play Hillsdale (Mich.) (6-5, 5-4 G-MAC), who finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak. The Chargers finished fifth in the G-MAC, ending the year with a 31-14 win over Ohio Dominican.
This season, Upper Iowa's eight wins tied for the most in program history with the 1964 team. The Peacocks were 5-0 at home, the first undefeated season during the Division II era in Harms-Eischeid Stadium. Upper Iowa has won 15 games over the past two seasons, the most ever in a two-season span. This will be the first postseason game in the Division II era.
"One of our goals at the beginning of the season was to play a 12th game, and this team has accomplished that," Hoskins said. "They deserve to put the pads on together one more time and play as Peacocks!"
The South Shore Albanese Candy Bowl is scheduled for Dec. 6 at 1 p.m. in Hobart, Indiana. Gates open at 11:45 a.m. at Hobart High School. Tickets for the game are available for $12 for adults and $7 for kids and senior citizens; FREE for Pop Warner players in uniform; FREE for students (must show student ID) and children 4 and under are free. Tickets will also be sold at the gate. Tickets for the banquet on Friday night, Dec. 6, at Hobart High School (2211 East 10th Street, Hobart, Ind.) from 6-8 p.m. can also be purchased for $30, while several apparel items will also be on sale.
Broadcast coverage of the Albanese Candy Bowl will be streamed on JedTV, with more information coming soon.
