Iowa vs. Iowa State Total Pick
Will Iowa and Iowa State find themselves in a physical, defensive battle when the two in-state foes meet up today at Noon ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Iowa is the slight favorite on the road, as the Hawkeyes are getting odds of -3 points against the Cyclones. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 48 points. Iowa has won the last two meetings and the two are 3-1-1 with the under in their last five meetings. Today’s game takes place from Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa and will air live on ESPN2.
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Iowa got its season started with a 24-3 win over Wyoming last Saturday with the total set at 52 points. The Iowa defense had no trouble stopping hyped Wyoming QB Josh Allen. Iowa held Allen to just 23-of-40 passing for 174 yards and two interceptions with no touchdowns. Wyoming finished the game with only 233 total yards. The Hawkeyes didn’t have a great offensive day themselves. Iowa tallied 263 total yards with Akrum Wadley leading the way with 116 rushing yards on 24 carries. Nathan Stanley added 125 passing yards with three touchdowns. Stanley completed only eight passes in the win.
Iowa State opened its season with a 42-24 win over Northern Iowa at home. The Cyclones went over the 51.5-point total. Iowa State put up 405 yards of offense in the win while allowing 378 to the Panthers. The Iowa State defense did force three turnovers. One was a pick six by Kamari Cotton-Moya. Jacob Park led the Iowa State offense with 271 passing yards and two touchdowns while Allen Lazard caught eight passes for 108 yards. The leading rusher was David Montgomery, who had 82 yards on 14 carries. Montgomery had some cramping issues in the game, but shouldn’t keep him from playing today.
The under has been the common theme in this series, as the two are 9-2-1 with it in their last 12 meetings. Iowa has also hit it in its last four non-conference games. The Hawkeyes do have to go on the road, but their defense should travel well. Iowa State isn’t a great offense that should be able to carve up this defense. Iowa’s offense is rarely great, so I also don’t expect them to tear apart the Cyclones’ defense. This should be a grinder of a game that remains competitive and low-scoring throughout.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: IOWA/IOWA STATE UNDER 48